Jeddah - Arab Today
Julphar Saudi Arabia, a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, officially opened at the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) on April 20.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by government representatives and officials from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The factory was inaugurated by Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Saudi minister of health, in the presence of dignitaries including the CEO of SFDA (Saudi Food & Drug Authority) Hisham Al-Jeddaei, Secretary-General of Economic Cities Authority Mohanud Abdul-Mohsin Helal, CEO of Emaar Economic City Fahd Al-Rasheed, CEO of Industrial Valley Rayan Qutub, and Chairman of Cigalah Group Sheikh Yasser Al-Naghi.
Julphar Saudi Arabia held a factory site tour, where media and guests had the opportunity to visit the facility and see its production process.
Julphar’s Chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Saqr Al-Qassimi, said: “I am grateful to all for their well-founded trust in Julphar and for attending the event. With the launch of Julphar Saudi Arabia, we are strengthening our commitment toward Julphar’s biggest market: Saudi Arabia, and its people.”
He added: “The medicines will be manufactured locally, which will help reduce the cost of production and ensure all our high-quality products are affordable to families in the Kingdom. The addition of the Julphar plant in Saudi Arabia also supports the company’s vision to expand its manufacturing presence in the region.”
Sheikh Abdullah bin Faisal Al-Qasimi, vice-chairman of the board said: “The plant will have the capacity to produce up to 1 billion tablets, 300 million capsules and 30 million bottles of syrups and suspensions per year.”
He added: “Julphar Saudi Arabia also complies with international Current Good Manufacturing Practice cGMP standards. It integrates quality into all stages of manufacturing and aims for continuous improvement, which is in line with the company’s objective to ensure our people’s safety by producing high-quality products through world-class facilities.”
Julphar Saudi Arabia is the result of the collaboration between MENA’s largest generic pharmaceutical company, Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries, and its local partner Cigalah Group, a health care distributor in the Saudi market.
The construction of the said factory is estimated at around SR200 million, and is expected to employ a considerable number of Saudi talent with ongoing training and development.
Source: Arab News