90% of international pharmaceutical companies have a regional headquarters in the UAE, covering 25% of the needs of the countries of the region and 75% of the country's needs, according to Assistant Secretary of Public Health Policy and Licenses at the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri.
Amiri said in a press statement on the sidelines of the Clinical Research Forum 2018 that the international drug companies carried out 3105 programs to support scientific research in the UAE and the region, noting that these companies spent about these programs about 106 million dirhams.
Al-Amiri confirmed that the ministry provided 8771 innovative ideas until 2017, 104 innovations have been applied, pointing out that globally, $ 100 billion was spent in 2018 on scientific research in medicine, and focused on 25 international companies. Five drugs for cancer, three for inflammation, three for diabetes, and other drugs, and among every five clinical studies one study intervenes in markets.
According to the pwc report, computer companies ranked first in scientific research spending at $ 163 billion, followed by medical services and medicines worth $ 143 billion, pointing out that there were 57 clinical studies conducted in the UAE, 57 clinical studies were conducted In Egypt, 48 in Saudi Arabia. By comparing the population, the UAE conducts 6.2 clinical studies per million people, Saudi Arabia has 1.8 clinical studies per million people, and Egypt has 0.5 per million population.
The participants recommended the need for joint programs of clinical studies at the Gulf level, in particular that there is a genetic similarity in the region among these peoples, support for innovation and innovative ideas in the field of scientific research, the need for strategic partnership with the private sector and academia, Conduct clinical studies.