Abu Dhabi strengthens its capabilities as a life science center through a partnership with Belgian pharmaceuticals

Abu Dhabi has set its sights on Belgium as the world’s leading pharmaceutical center to establish a global distribution corridor to provide the world with vaccine delivery and future life science needs. This collaboration builds on the ability of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector as a leading life science center and HOPE Con​​sortium’s efforts to provide vaccine solutions to the world.

The initiative requires a Belgian delegation to visit Abu Dhabi and is hosted by the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Health (DoH). The visit signed two declarations of cooperation between Belgium and Abu Dhabi and was witnessed by His Excellency Abdullah bin Mohamed Al Hamid, Chairman of the Ministry of Health, and His Excellency Peter Kleis, Ambassador of Belgium to the UAE .

The first agreement is an agreement between HOPE Con​​sortium, Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC), Brussels Airport Company and Pharma.Aero. The cooperation is led by the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Health, the regulator of the emirate’s health care sector, and aims to establish a fully compliant origin-to-destination pharmaceutical air corridor between Abu Dhabi and Brussels Airport. The dedicated pharmaceutical trade channel will unite key compliant and industry-certified supply chain stakeholders, including freight forwarders and ground handling agents.

“Our goal is to enhance Abu Dhabi’s positioning as a world-class pharmaceutical logistics center and a destination focused on global welfare by investing in strategic public and private sector cooperation and the allocation of expertise and resources,” commented Dr. Jamal Al Kaabi Dao, Deputy Minister of Health-Abu Dhabi.

Earlier this year, a delegation from the HOPE Consortium met with stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry in Brussels, demonstrating Abu Dhabi’s success in global vaccine distribution. Thanks to its network of partners, HOPE Con​​sortium has processed more than 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, contributing to vaccination programs in more than 40 destinations around the world.

Western Europe is currently the world’s second largest pharmaceutical export market, with total exports in 2020 approaching 42 billion euros. “Brussels Airport is the leading hub for the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries in Europe, handling more than 750 million vaccines. The airport serves 60 destinations around the world”, Brussels Airport Cargo Director Nathan De Valck (Nathan De Valck) Say.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Chairman of the HOPE Alliance Executive Committee and Group CEO of AD Ports Group, added that the active sharing of knowledge and expertise among stakeholders remains critical to the continued success of the partnership. “The Hope Alliance and our partners have developed one of the most extensive end-to-end vaccine supply chains, capable of providing millions of Covid-19 vaccines anywhere in the world.”

“Through joint efforts, we have successfully solved some of the major challenges related to vaccine logistics. We are very happy to have the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities and pass on our knowledge to the students who participated in the master class. At the same time, we look forward to building a future pharmaceutical corridor , To further strengthen the relationship between Abu Dhabi and Belgium for the benefit of the region and the world,” said Captain Al Shamsi.

The development of a dedicated pharmaceutical air corridor will utilize API-IoT devices-web forms-Internet shared with all relevant stakeholders to closely monitor pharmaceutical transportation. “Our relationship with Etihad Cargo and HOPE Con​​sortium sharing best practices convinces us that this corridor will promote a commitment to transparency to customers and stakeholders.” Nathan De, also chairman of Pharma.Aero Valck said.

Another cooperation statement was signed by HOPE Con​​​sortium, Pharma.Aero, Khalifa University of Technology and Antwerp University to host the second edition of the “Pharmaceutical Logistics Master Class”, which focuses on key challenges in the pharmaceutical sector and development of supply Chain and Logistics, September 5-9, 2022, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi.

“We are very happy to bring the second master class to Abu Dhabi. HOPE Con​​sortium partners and Khalifa University provided great support and provided a unique platform to participate in the next master class To share with them,” said Professor Roel Gevaers, Chair of the University of Antwerp and the Organizing Committee.

Frank Van Gelder, Secretary-General of Pharma.Aero and co-chair of the “Pharmaceutical Logistics Master Class” continued: “The vision and mission of Pharma.Aero emphasizes the promotion of cooperation. Through continuous insights between pharmaceutical companies, industry stakeholders and academia By sharing the latest changes, the overall knowledge and quality of the pharmaceutical and MedTec supply chain have been improved. Bringing the second master class to Abu Dhabi and once again integrating academia and business together has made a major contribution to the realization of this vision contribute.”

Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-Chancellor of Khalifa University, said: “We are delighted to work with our partners to hold the next Pharma.Aero logistics masterclass in Abu Dhabi in September 2022. Khalifa University owns The necessary expertise, especially through our Digital Supply Chain and Operations Management (DSOM) research center, which provides real-world cutting-edge work and medical care in digital transactions, management and optimization in multiple fields such as maritime logistics and production lines Health care delivery system. We believe that the master class held in Abu Dhabi will further affirm our firm commitment to providing high-quality academic and professional courses that will benefit students and young people who are interested in planning future careers in this field.”

The agreement was welcomed by Dr. Ghalia Ali Al Humaidan, Chargé d’affaires of the UAE Mission in Belgium, who stated: “The strategic relationship between the UAE and Belgium is essential to support the trade routes between the Middle East and Europe. This commitment is further expanded. The effectiveness of the cooperative approach to address the flow of demand for medicines between the two regions.”

HE Peter Claes, the Belgian ambassador to the UAE, added: “Abu Dhabi has developed into a global pharmaceutical distribution center. The emirate has achieved this through close cooperation and synergy with Brussels Airport. Therefore, I am very happy to learn that Pharma. At the invitation of Aero and its partners, outstanding executives from the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Health, Etihad Airways and Rafed participated in the first International Pharmaceutical Logistics Master Class held in Antwerp in September.”