Abbvie Regional Office Launches in the United Arab Emirates

Under the auspices of HE Dr. Amin El Amiry undersecretary ministry of health

Dubai, Mar 11, 2015 – AbbVie today marked its launch in the United Arab Emirates as an independent biopharmaceutical company. The event was attended by His Excellency Dr. Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary of Public Health & Licensing, UAE Ministry of Health, Mr. Robert Waller, United States Counsel-general to the UAE, as well as by officials from the Government and healthcare professionals.

Recently AbbVie received approval for its breakthrough treatment for Hepatitis C Virus from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency .AbbVie’s medicine is the first treatment to combine three direct-acting antiviral agents with distinct mechanisms of action and non-overlapping resistance profiles to target HCV at multiple steps in the viral lifecycle.

H.E. Dr. Amin Al Amiri, Assistant  Undersecretary of Public Health and Licensing commented:  “In line with the direction of our government to focus on creativity and innovation, the Ministry of Health is committed to follow the government's guidelines and considers them as a beacon for our decision-making in relation to regulations, including the pharmaceuticals registration process. The UAE is one of the leading countries in the region in terms of speed and clarity of procedures in the registration of innovative and globally-approved medicines, by well-regarded organizations and bodies such as the FDA and EMA.” 

“As for the registration of the new HCV treatment, UAE was the first country to approve this pharmaceutical product after it had obtained the FDA and EMA approval. This reflects our commitment to support HCV patients who need this type of treatment and the healthcare sector in general. Moreover, this demonstrates the strong economic support for the international pharmaceutical companies that choose the UAE for their regional headquarters, as we have seen today with the inauguration of AbbVie’s regional headquarters in Dubai,” added Al Amiri.

“AbbVie is one of the biggest US pharmaceutical companies that we highly support, we are honored to be here today to celebrate the launch of Abbvie regional office here in Dubai serving the whole region which reflects the importance of UAE across the ME,” commented Mr. Robert Waller, United States Consul General to the UAE.

“AbbVie’s focus corresponds with many of the country’s priorities in healthcare, particularly in the areas of treating and managing chronic diseases, preventing socially sensitive diseases, expanding life span and improving children’s health” said Alberto Colzi, vice president, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, “that’s why we intend to be a strategic partner to the Governments and healthcare authorities as well as other local stakeholders in the region.”

With an annual global turnover of US$ 19.8 billion (2014) and one of the highest growth rates in the sector, AbbVie’s launch in Dubai comes as part of the company’s global expansion – AbbVie recently marked its launch in Egypt under the auspices of the Egyptian Minister of Investment and Minister of Health - and commitment to patients in the Middle East.

Abboud Bejjani, region vice president, Middle East, Africa & Pakistan commented:  “our presence in this region for more than 50 years and the opening of this office is a true evidence of such commitment. I would like to emphasize that we will remain faithful to our mandate to make our treatment available to patients who need it and we will do that with the support of the local health authorities.”

Quoting Sami Abi Nakhoul GM South Gulf “our presence in UAE is a strategic decision where we aim to work with all local authorities to serve the patients in UAE and to contribute to the growth and development of the health care sector." 

AbbVie aims to advance patient care globally across six therapeutic areas: immunology, kidney disease, liver disease, neuroscience, oncology, and women’s health. With a rich, 125-year heritage of developing pharmaceuticals, AbbVie combines the focus and passion of a leading-edge biotech with the expertise and structure of a long-established pharmaceutical leader. A global enterprise that serves patients in more than 170 countries, AbbVie launches in the United Arab Emirates with a strong commitment to the region’s healthcare.