Two Saudi Arabian agencies signed on with Vertex Pharmaceuticals to help boost the country’s gene therapy production capabilities during the first CPhI (Convention on Pharmaceutical Ingredients) event held in the Middle East.
The Vertex agreement, which is expected to generate $266 million (1 billion Saudi Riyal) within the country over the next 5 years, is part of the Saudi Kingdom’s plan to make itself a global biotech hub, the government said in a Dec. 11 press release.
Both the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the Ministries of Investment and Health joined in the memorandum of understanding with Vertex, according to the release. Saudi Arabia’s goals are to advance R&D capabilities in the country, expand local bio manufacturing for cell and gene therapies and to train the next generation of health experts.
Vertex, for its part, has identified Saudi Arabia as a country with a large eligible patient population for its new CRISPR Therapeutics-partnered gene therapy Casgevy, which treats sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.
The country is home to around 23,000 patients who could be eligible for Casgevy and forms part of a multibillion-dollar global market opportunity for the drug, according to a recent investor presentation (PDF) from Vertex. As of this summer, the drug was approved in the U.S., Great Britain, the European Union, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, according to a separate presentation (PDF).
"We are pleased to be working together towards our mutual goal of advancing innovation in the Kingdom, in line with Saudi Vision 2030," Vertex CEO Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., said in a statement. "Vertex aims to develop and discover transformative medicines for patients with serious diseases like sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. This partnership is a further significant step in providing such medicines to patients in the Kingdom and ensuring Saudi patients have access to cutting-edge therapies."
Other deals announced at the CPhI event included a pledge by United Arab Emirates-based drug manufacturer Julphar to build an $80 million facility for advanced biologics. The company plans to commence the project in the first quarter of 2025.
In addition, manufacturer Zeta Gulf pledged to build a new drug production plant in Saudi Arabia, according to a separate press release from the Saudi Arabia government.
Saudi Arabia announced its biotech push last January as part of the Kingdom’s goal to increase domestic pharmaceutical production from 20% to 40% by 2030. Dubbed Vision 2030, the country is also looking to position itself as a biotech leader in the region in the years to come.