Cinfa Establishes Scientific Office in Dubai to Advance UAE Pharmaceutical Localization
The Spanish pharmaceutical company opens its first international localization hub outside Spain, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to strengthening the UAE's healthcare capabilities and supporting national pharmaceutical innovation priorities.
Cinfa, an international pharmaceutical enterprise with nearly six decades of experience in advancing health outcomes, has officially inaugurated its Scientific Office in the UAE, positioning the nation as the company’s inaugural localization hub beyond Spain. This significant development represents a substantial progression in Cinfa’s regional engagement, building upon more than a decade of continuous presence throughout the Emirates.
The establishment of this localization hub embodies a comprehensive, phased approach developed through strategic partnerships, encompassing local scientific and regulatory expertise, secondary packaging and batch release capabilities, and the progressive advancement towards technology transfer and selected local manufacturing through carefully cultivated collaborations with local partners.
Franc Vives Ribera, Chief International Officer for Cinfa Group, articulated the company’s vision, emphasising that the UAE has cultivated a distinctive environment wherein international expertise and national aspirations converge to establish enduring healthcare capabilities. The Scientific Office represents a tangible commitment to supporting the UAE’s healthcare vision through intensified scientific collaboration, the cultivation of localised knowledge, and an increasingly integrated methodology for delivering medicines to patients with enhanced efficiency.
The Scientific Office functions as a cornerstone for reinforcing local capabilities across regulatory affairs, quality assurance, and pharmacovigilance. Through enhanced collaboration with authorities, healthcare institutions, and other national stakeholders, the Office facilitates the exchange of scientific and regulatory expertise whilst contributing meaningfully to the development of long-term pharmaceutical capabilities within the Emirate.
This milestone aligns seamlessly with the UAE’s continuing advancement as a pre-eminent regional centre for life sciences and pharmaceutical innovation. National frameworks, including UAE Vision 2031, emphasise the cultivation of a competitive knowledge-based economy, the strengthening of local industrial capabilities, and the development of greater resilience across strategically significant sectors, particularly healthcare.
Cinfa’s refined approach now incorporates a distinctive model that evaluates local requirements directly from inception. Rather than developing products primarily for European markets and subsequently introducing them regionally, the company now integrates UAE requirements increasingly earlier into development and regulatory planning, facilitating accelerated patient access to essential treatments.
Since establishing its presence in the Middle East through the UAE in 2013, Cinfa has progressively expanded throughout the region, encompassing Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iraq. The company currently markets more than one hundred product references across the region, addressing treatment needs for a wide spectrum of diseases with considerable prevalence throughout the UAE.
Source: WAM