Tahaluf, Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing business event organiser, has launched the latest in its vertical industry shows – CPHI Middle East, a new regional pharmaceutical event. The move marks a significant milestone for the Middle East’s rapidly expanding pharma sector.
Set to take place at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Convention Center, 10-12 December, 2024, this landmark event has garnered the support of the Saudi ministry of health and is held in partnership with the Events Investment Fund.
The event comes as Saudi Arabia emerges as a global leader in biotechnology, with an ambitious plan to achieve self-sufficiency in vaccine production, biomanufacturing, and genomics. Further, the country’s pharmaceutical market, the largest in the Middle East, is expected to reach US$11.5bn by 2032.
Mohaned El Mahgoub, group director, at Tahaluf said: “The MENA region, which is the world’s fifth largest pharma market, makes Saudi Arabia an important international meeting hub for the pharmaceutical community. It is a hugely attractive region for multinational pharma companies, with projected double digit annual market growth until 2032. CPHI Middle East & Africa will be where the future of pharma unites to forge long-lasting partnerships that stretch across the Middle East, Africa and around the world.”
Healthcare and life sciences are among Saudi Arabia's most significant sectors and key focuses of Saudi Vision 2030. Of the US$333bn 2024 budget allocation, healthcare and social development expenditure account for roughly US$57bn, the third-largest segment after general and military spending.
Adam Andersen, executive vice-president, Pharma, at Informa Markets said: “Our venture into the Middle East is a significant milestone as we celebrate 35 years of CPHI this year. Given Saudi Arabia’s strategic location, coupled with an increasing demand for high-quality healthcare products, we’re confident CPHI Middle East will deliver exceptional value to our stakeholders, exhibitors and attendees as we bring the heart of pharma to the Kingdom. This inaugural event also aligns with a key goal of Saudi Vision 2030 to double domestic manufacturing from 20% to 40%. With several international pharmaceutical companies already committed to setting up operations in Saudi Arabia, CPHI Middle East will build on that by drawing a number of key international brands eager to explore Saudi Arabia as a potential regional hub.”
Tahaluf expects the event to fill 30,000sqm of exhibition space and attract 30,000 visitors and 400 exhibitors.
Designed as an experiential event, CPHI Middle East will feature four dedicated stages – The Future, Innovation, Next-Gen Bio and Discovery, and a headline speaker platform is taking shape.
CPHI Middle East is the latest in a raft of new vertical events to be launched in Saudi Arabia by Tahaluf – the strategic collaborative venture between Informa PLC, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP) and the Events Investment Fund. Tahaluf aims to introduce over 20 new B2B and B2C titles into the Kingdom by the end of 2025, bringing more than US$1bn in economic impact to Riyadh.
