Thursday, November 21, 2013
Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar), the UAE leading pharmaceutical company in the Mena region, today announced that it would hold in conjunction with global giant The Financial Times a strategic biotechnology forum on December 9, in Dubai, with the aim of laying down foundations for a world-class biotechnology and Biosimilarsindustry in the Mena region.
The one-day forum will discuss the vital importance of biotechnology for the region as well as the emerging opportunities and challenges. For this reason, it will bring together industry experts, investors, policy makers and regulators from across the region and internationally to debate in a series of forums the financial and regulatory factors necessary for the success of this nascent industry.
Commenting on the event, Dr Ayman Sahli, said:" This is a highly strategic forum that has the potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry in the region. The renowned experts who will convene in the UAE will tackle all the prerequisites for establishing an advanced biotechnology industry that will help local countries provide better healthcare services to their citizens".
"Biotechnology is a strategic pharmaceutical domain that Julphar has already tapped into by establishing a state of the art biotechnology plant to produce insulin locally, making of the UAE the first and only country in the region that produces the raw material used for making insulin. Fulfilling our commitment to the regional community, Julphar is determined to lead the industry on the biotechnology front", added Dr Sahli.
Financial Times Live, the global conferences and events arm of the Financial Times newspaper, co-organizer of the forum, has long established itself as a global leader in gathering high calibre public and private sector decision-makers, visionaries and strategists from the world's most important economies and industries for a wide range of interactive, agenda-setting conferences and events.
Andrew Jack, Pharmaceuticals Correspondent of Financial Times and chair of the forum, said: "the forthcoming biotechnology forum is particularly relevant to this part of the world where local governments are investing hugely to meet the growing demand on quality healthcare".
"Overcoming challenges and unleashing the full potential of biotechnology and biosimilars will boost the initiatives of the local governments to diversify their economies away from dependence on natural resources and reduce healthcare spend", added Jack.
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity defines Biotechnology as any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use. Modern biotechnology is used in the fight against rare diseases, as well as to reduce environmental footprint, produce more safe food and use less and cleaner energy to improve our lives and the health of the planet.
© Emirates 24|7 2013
