São Paulo – The 1st Brazil-Saudi Arabia Pharma Seminar is taking place next Tuesday (8) at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo. Brazilian and Saudi business leaders will discuss pharma market opportunities and challenges in the Arab country. The seminar is hosted by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), the Saudi Pharma Industrial Clusters, the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency(Anvisa), the Brazilian Pharma Inputs Association (Abiquifi) and the Pharma Products Industry Union (Sindusfarma), with support from the Arab Chamber.
The Saudi pharmaceuticals market is currently worth SAR 30 billion, and gets 5% bigger each year, with opportunities available in generic drugs and vaccines.
The seminar will feature Arab Chamber secretary-general Tamer Mansour; Sindusfarma markets director Bruno abreu; Abiquifi chairman Sergio Frangioni; Saudi Pharma Industrial Clusters vice president Raed Al-Swayed; SFDA chief pharmacist for regulatory affairs Bandar Al Hammad; Saudi Pharma Industrial Clusters strategy and investment promotion director Adalberto Netto; and a delegate from Anvisa.
“When it comes to healthcare, the Saudi government makes purchases and invests in goods and services. It’s a big market where 70% of products are still imports. We are coming to Brazil precisely to present to our Brazilian partners the opportunities in investment, intelligence and market information,” Adalberto Netto told ANBA.
Saudi Industrial Clusters is a Saudi government program. The Brazilian-born Netto is a former Paraná Development Agency chair. Now based in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, he coordinates the program’s international investment promotion strategy, which is working with ten different industries. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan should see the Health Ministry invest USD 71 billion through 2020.
Investment and exports
The Brazil-Saudi Arabia Pharma Seminar will include a roundtable discussion. Afterwards, companies will get one-on-one access to clear up questions. “Saudi Arabia’s per capita investment in the industry is bigger than Brazil’s. The enterprises will learn how they can access the markets of Saudi Arabia and its neighboring countries,” he explained – there’s also a possibility of finding a market in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries.
According to Netto, companies can also get information on government purchases. “And it’s a public procurement system that’s coupled with investments. If a company invests in Saudi Arabia, the Health Ministry will buy its products for up to three years,” he said.
The diretor said four Brazilian pharma companies are currently selling product to Saudi Arabia. “The opportunity is there. If Brazilian companies fail to take up space, then companies from other countries will capture this market share,” he said.
Quick facts
Brazil-Saudi Arabia Pharma Seminar
October 8
8:30am – reception
9am-11:30am – presentations
11:30am-2:30pm – one-on-one talks with companies
Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce Auditorium
Avenida Paulista, 283, 11th floor, São Paulo, SP
Register here
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
