As a prominent base for the manufacture of both new and generic pharmaceuticals, Egypt is an easy stepping stone from which to enter the fast-growing African market.
At the forefront of this revolution is Minapharm, with one of the broadest high-quality product portfolios in the industry. In addition to producing life-saving and life-enhancing medicines, Minapharm is adopting an international operation platform for biotechnology and cellular engineering, and making affordable medicines based on scientific solutions and technologies.
Its acquisition of ProBioGen was a first for the industry, Chairman and CEO Wafik Bardissi explains. “Acquiring a European company was seen as unconventional and caused surprise and excitement for many observers,” he says. “We are also investing in our own new state-ofthe- art facility here in Egypt, which should be operational by the end of 2018. We employ Egyptian specialists and foster an innovation culture. The establishment of this Egyptian bioengineering research community can be considered as a milestone in Egypt’s pharmaceutical history. Having a strong R&D base here in Egypt gives us a competitive advantage when it comes to pricing. For instance, we are able to offer new immunotherapy products, which are normally very expensive, at affordable prices because we manufacture them straight from the cell to the protein. We’re able to supply the full value chain here in Egypt. The new facilities will not only allow us to strengthen our position in the regional market, which is our main focus in the short- and medium-term, but also will allow us to look at opportunities beyond our region.”
