ISU Abxis, an affiliate of the ISU Group, is stepping up the launch of its Gaucher disease treatment Abcertin (imiglucerase) in the Middle East and North African (MENA) market.
ISU Abxis CEO Hwang Yeob (right) and Tabuk Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Company CEO Ismael Shehadeh signed an agreement to market the Korean company’s Gaucher disease treatment in the Middle East and North Africa.
ISU Abxis said Thursday that it has signed an exclusive licensing and supply agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Company for Abcertin at “CPHI Middle East 2024,” an international pharmaceutical and biotechnology exhibition, held at the Front Expo Center in Riyadh.
Abcertin is a biosimilar of Sanofi Genzyme’s Cerezyme, which ISU Abxis developed.
Tabuk is a leading pharmaceutical company in Saudi Arabia that develops, manufactures, distributes its generic pharmaceutical products and performs contract manufacturing for international partners. The company has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Sudan and Algeria as well as Tabuk and Dammam in Saudi Arabia and employs more than 2,400 workers.
Tabuk supplies pharmaceutical products to 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
The agreement will enable ISU Abxis to respond to the growing demand for rare disease therapies in the MENA region. According to the Korean company, the collaboration with Tabuk is expected to be a major turning point in the company's entry into the MENA market while demonstrating its technological and product excellence.
“This partnership with Tabuk is an important indicator of our growth potential in the Middle East and North Africa region,” ISU Absix CEO Hwang Yeob said. “Tabuk's interest in Abcertin, which has a leading presence in the region, is a validation of our technology in developing rare disease therapies.”
Tabuk CEO Ismael Shehadeh said, “Tabuk is committed to providing unique health solutions and helping to save lives in the Middle East. Abcertin is a life-saving product and an important part of our portfolio as we continue to build on our strategy to strengthen our leading market position in this therapeutic area and build specialized and innovative businesses.”