Reshaping Saudi Healthcare

Paul Hudson, CEO of French pharma giant Sanofi, has been overseeing the company as it plays an increasing role in Saudi Arabia’s biopharmaceutical market and vaccine production. Now he’s looking to broaden its ambitions even further.

- Samar Khouri

Saudi Arabia's biopharmaceutical industry is undergoing transformative changes, especially with the localization of pharmaceutical production. The value of its domestic pharmaceutical market is forecasted at $10 billion, making up around 32% of the total share of the Middle East and Africa region in the international market, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Between 2019 and 2023, the sector grew at an average rate of 25% and the market size increased from $8 billion to $10 billion per year due to the reduction of pharmaceutical imports from 80% in 2019 to 70% in 2023.

Powered by advanced technology, French pharma giant Sanofi is now accelerating its mission to increase national resilience and self-sufficiency and grow the biopharma sector in the kingdom, helping advance the country's vaccine localization strategy, in line with the kingdom's Vision 2030 goal of economic diversification. "There is a willingness here to do something bold and pioneering to localize things like manufacturing," says Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi.

In October 2024, the French pharma giant signed a sevenyear offtake agreement with Sudair Pharma Company and NUPCO to set up a manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia to localize the production and packaging of Sanofi's SoloStar insulin pens and advanced insulin products for diabetics vaccine localization strategy, in line with the kingdom's Vision 2030 goal of economic diversification.

"There is a willingness here to do something bold and pioneering to localize things like manufacturing," says Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi.

In October 2024, the French pharma giant signed a sevenyear offtake agreement with Sudair Pharma Company and NUPCO to set up a manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia to localize the production and packaging of Sanofi's SoloStar insulin pens and advanced insulin products for diabetics.