Localizing pharmaceuticals manufacturing and its impact on drug security in Saudi Arabia
Essam A. Tawfika✉, Abdulkader F. Tawfikb, Areej M. Alajmia, Moutaz Y. Badrc, Ahmed H. Al-Jedaid e, Nada H. Almozainf, Haitham A. Bukharyc, Abdulrahman A. Halwanig, Saeed A. Al Awadhh, Aws Alshamsani, Salim A. Babhairj, Abdulaziz Almalika✉
- aNational Center of Biotechnology, Life Science and Environment Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- bDrug Dimension Company, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- cDepartment of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
- dCollege of Pharmacy, College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- eTherapeutic Affairs, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- fInpatient Department, Pharmaceutical Services Department, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- gPharmaceutics Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- hSaudi Food and Drug Authority, Drug Sector, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- iNanobiotechnology Unit, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- jFive Dimensions for Consultation Company, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Abstract
Local production of pharmaceuticals plays a vital role in maintaining resilience of national healthcare systems, especially when it comes to facilitating access to needed medicines and decreasing exposure to imports and international supply chains. Pharma is a research-intensive industry and the systemic lack of governance and support to R&D activities in this sector, among other host of related issues such as unsupportive regulatory regimes and human resources capacity limitations, is one of the major impediments to the diversifying of locally produced pharmaceuticals portfolio. In this review, an overview of the current pharmaceutical production system in Saudi Arabia, its major challenges, and proposed remedies to address them will be highlighted.
TL;DRAn overview of the current pharmaceutical production system in Saudi Arabia, its major challenges, and proposed remedies to address them will be highlighted. (Semantic Scholar)