Pharma and Biotech Localisation in Saudi Arabia: What the National Biotechnology Strategy Means for Industry

Pharma localisation in Saudi Arabia means moving the manufacture of priority medicines, vaccines and biologics into the Kingdom, usually through partnerships between global companies and Saudi manufacturers. Under the National Biotechnology Strategy, it has become one of the most consequential commercial shifts in Saudi healthcare.

For multinational pharma, local presence is no longer just a factory decision. It increasingly shapes procurement, partnerships and long-term market access. For Saudi patients, it promises more resilient supply of insulin, vaccines and biologics. For everyone in between, it changes the commercial playbook.

Key takeaways

• The ambition is explicit. The strategy aims to make Saudi Arabia MENA's biotech leader by 2030 and a global leader by 2040, with biotech contributing 3% of non-oil GDP and a cumulative impact of SAR 130 billion (Arab News).
• Four priorities lead. Vaccines, biomanufacturing and localisation, genomics, and plant optimisation.
• Deals are happening. PIF-owned Lifera has partnerships covering insulin, vaccines and GLP-1 medicines with companies including Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Pfizer.
• Insulin is the first big test. Lifera's agreement with Novo Nordisk targets more than 50% of the Kingdom's insulin needs, while a new Sudair Pharma plant supports a national goal to localise 85%.
• Commercial models must adapt. Local manufacturing, real-world evidence and patient support increasingly travel together in Saudi market access.

What is Saudi Arabia's National Biotechnology Strategy?

Launched by the Crown Prince in January 2024, the strategy is a roadmap to make the Kingdom a regional biotech hub by 2030 and a global leader by 2040 (Vision 2030). It targets a 3% contribution to non-oil GDP by 2040, a cumulative economic impact of SAR 130 billion, and around 11,000 jobs by 2030.

The rationale is resilience as much as industrial growth. Saudi Arabia is the largest regional market for pharmaceuticals and vaccines, and pandemic-era supply shocks showed the cost of depending on imports for essential medicines.

The infrastructure is building up behind it. The Saudi Biobank, for example, had enrolled 53,338 participants and collected 589,461 biospecimens by mid-2024, supporting genomic research, precision medicine and clinical trials.

What is happening on the ground?

Localisation has moved from announcements to facilities and supply agreements. The Public Investment Fund's biopharma company, Lifera, launched in 2023, sits at the centre of most deals.

Lifera's first facility is designed to produce 80 million injectable units a year, including insulin and monoclonal antibodies, with plans to scale to 250 million units by 2029 and add vaccines, peptides including anti-obesity therapies, and other biologics. Its Lifera Omics subsidiary is building genetic testing and precision medicine capability.

Two patterns stand out. First, chronic disease is the anchor: insulin and GLP-1 medicines map directly onto the Kingdom's diabetes and obesity burden. Second, procurement and localisation are linked: Novo Nordisk's insulin announcement explicitly references collaboration with NUPCO, the national procurement company, and the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority (LCGPA).

What does localisation mean for market access and commercial teams?

Local manufacturing changes the supply side. Three demand-side shifts arrive with it, and commercial, medical and market access teams need to plan for all three.

1. Local presence becomes part of the value story. Procurement bodies such as NUPCO and LCGPA are already partners in localisation deals. Companies with a credible local footprint, whether manufacturing, technology transfer or a local partner, can expect it to weigh in tenders and long-term supply agreements. Legal advisers increasingly recommend that companies consider a Saudi partner, joint venture, contract manufacturing or licensing structure where products are strategically important.

2. Volume rises, so outcomes matter more. Localised insulin and GLP-1 medicines are meant to widen access. Higher volumes in a system moving towards value-based purchasing put the spotlight on what happens after the prescription: adherence, persistence and outcomes. Real-world data shows that 64.8% of GLP-1 users without type 2 diabetes stop within a year, which erodes the value of every unit produced.

3. Evidence must be local. As clusters become accountable care organisations and payers buy outcomes, Saudi real-world evidence becomes a market access asset. Genomics infrastructure, biobanks and digital patient programmes all feed it.

The implication for Patient Support Programmes: in a localised, value-driven market, PSPs shift from a nice-to-have service to the mechanism that proves a medicine works in Saudi patients. They should capture adherence and outcome data, run through the treating provider's channel, and report safety signals into pharmacovigilance.

A five-step localisation playbook for pharma and biotech

1. Map your portfolio against the strategy. Identify which products sit in priority areas: insulin, vaccines, biologics, biosimilars, GLP-1 and other chronic disease therapies, and genomics-enabled medicines. These are where localisation expectations will be highest.
2. Choose the right local structure. Options range from contract manufacturing with a local platform such as Lifera, to licensing, technology transfer or a joint venture. Match the structure to the product's strategic importance and your long-term commitment to the market.
3. Align with procurement early. Engage NUPCO and LCGPA alongside the regulator, so localisation plans and supply commitments are recognised in tenders and long-term agreements.
4. Build the post-prescription layer. Pair every localised launch with a Patient Support Programme that drives adherence, supports titration and captures outcomes. Volume without persistence will not hold up in value-based purchasing.
5. Generate Saudi evidence. Design real-world evidence and registries from day one, linked to genomics and digital programmes where relevant, and governed under PDPL.

How CareSync helps: CareSync is a white-label continuous-care platform built in Riyadh. For pharma, it delivers Patient Support Programmes through the treating provider's own channel, with adherence support, adverse event capture and outcome reporting that turn local volume into local evidence.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Saudi National Biotechnology Strategy? Launched in January 2024, it aims to make Saudi Arabia MENA's leading biotech hub by 2030 and a global leader by 2040, focusing on vaccines, biomanufacturing and localisation, genomics and plant optimisation.

What are the strategy's economic targets? A 3% contribution of biotechnology to non-oil GDP by 2040, a cumulative economic impact of SAR 130 billion, and around 11,000 jobs by 2030.

What is Lifera? Lifera is a biopharmaceutical company launched in 2023 and owned by the Public Investment Fund. It develops local manufacturing capacity for insulin, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and other biologics, and invests in genetic testing through Lifera Omics.

Is insulin being manufactured in Saudi Arabia? Yes, localisation is under way. Lifera's agreement with Novo Nordisk targets more than half of Saudi insulin needs, and the Sudair Pharma plant is designed to produce more than 15 million insulin pens a year, supporting a goal to localise 85% of national demand.

Will GLP-1 medicines be produced locally in Saudi Arabia? Novo Nordisk and Lifera signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue local manufacturing of semaglutide GLP-1 treatments in the Kingdom.

What does localisation mean for pharma companies without a Saudi plant? Local footprint, whether manufacturing, technology transfer or a partner, increasingly shapes procurement and long-term access. Companies should also invest in Saudi real-world evidence and patient support to demonstrate value.

Made in Saudi, proven in Saudi patients

Localisation is rewriting how medicines reach Saudi patients, starting with insulin, vaccines and GLP-1 therapies. Factories secure supply; evidence secures value. The pharma and biotech companies that pair local manufacturing with local outcomes data and strong patient support will be the partners of choice for the Kingdom's next decade.

Ready to turn local supply into local evidence? Book a CareSync demo at care-sync.co.

About CareSync

This article was prepared by the CareSync Team, drawing on experience across pharma, medical affairs, market access and digital health in Saudi Arabia. CareSync is a white-label continuous-care platform built in Riyadh for hospitals, clinics and pharma Patient Support Programmes.

Sources

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6. Gulf Industry. Sudair Pharma insulin plant.
7. Zawya. Novo Nordisk and Lifera sign MOU to enable the local production of semaglutide GLP-1 treatments in Saudi Arabia.
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11. Conventus Law. Saudi Arabia's life sciences localisation opportunity.
12. Rodriguez, P.J. et al. Discontinuation and Reinitiation of Dual-Labeled GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Among US Adults With Overweight or Obesity. JAMA Network Open, 2025.