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MUSCAT: A collaborative arrangement reached between National Pharmaceutical Industries Company (NPI) – the first pharmaceutical production plant set up in the Sultanate of Oman – and HealthTech Oman Centre, an affiliate of UK-based Bravo Pharmaceuticals Group, will pave the way for, among other goals, the localisation of the manufacture of treatments for a range of rare and genetic diseases.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed by the two sides at a ceremony hosted recently by Invest Oman, the investment facilitation arm of the Omani government.
Announcing the signing of the MoU in a post, Invest Oman said the partnership aims to “explore cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing, localise pharmaceutical industries, transfer technology, and strengthen medicine security in Oman”.
The pact is the latest in a string of agreements – some involving mega-scale production deals – signed in recent years that will contribute to a significant upsurge in local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity in Oman. Projects resulting from these agreements are in various stages of development and operation at Sohar Freezone, Suhar Industrial City, Khazaen Economic City, Rusayl Industrial City, and Salalah Free Zone, among other industrial hubs.
Publicly traded National Pharmaceutical Industries (NPI) launched operations at Rusayl Industrial City in 2001 as Oman’s first pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. The company’s product portfolio covers oral solids, liquids, dry powders for reconstitution and sachets covering various therapeutics like Cardiovascular, Anti-diabetics, Anti-infective, Cough & Cold, Musculoskeletal, Gastro-intestinal, Dermatology, and Central Nervous System.
UK-headquartered Bravo Pharma specialises in, among other areas, genome sequencing solutions, advanced diagnostics, equipment and research. The group oversees subsidiaries in Estonia, Uzbekistan, Uganda, UAE, India, USA and Sweden.
Following the MoU signing, Rakesh Pandey, Chief Managing Director – Bravo Group, commented in a post: “Look forward to the successful venture in the field of niche medicine, Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), rare drug development and innovation.”
Under the MoU, the two sides will collaborate in meeting the treatment needs of markets in Oman, Middle East, African and Central Asian regions. While Bravo commits to providing NPI with a comprehensive list of medicines for rare and genetic diseases, the latter will evaluate the market potential for these medicines in both private and public sector markets.
Bravo Pharma says it has identified eight rare and genetic diseases for which 12 new products have been developed at just a fraction of the cost of global brands. It also has extensive experience with over 4,000 formulations across 60+ dosage forms, including injectables, eye drops, oral solids, liquids, and topical treatments.
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