Middle East & Africa Pharmaceuticals Market

Middle East & Africa Pharmaceuticals Market-Segmented By Drug Type (Generic Drugs v/s Branded Drugs), By Product Type (Prescription Drugs v/s Over-The-Counter Drugs), By Application (Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal, Oncology, Anti-infective, Metabolic Disorder, Others), By Distribution Channel (Retail Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy, E-Pharmacy) By Country, By Company (2022)

Middle East and Africa Pharmaceuticals are a group of organic compounds that have improved the quality of life and provided immense support to people for curing their aging–related diseases, chronic diseases, and others. The Middle East and Africa are responsible for operating the world’s fifth-largest regional pharma market. Growth in demographics based on age, race, and gender among the population and their long-life expectancy with health awareness are more likely to enhance the marketing of pharmaceuticals in the region. Moreover, the growing concern of the country’s government towards the healthcare of people by providing them with the facility of health insurance and free health check-ups is promoting the growth of the Middle East and Africa Pharmaceutical market. Development in clinical centers, hospitals, pharmacies, and others, along with the establishment of new medical associations, is increasing the need for pharmaceutical drugs and medicines in the region. Furthermore, the facility of E-Pharmacy is also increasing the demand for medicines across all the countries of the Middle East and Africa region. The increase in unhealthy habits of people, such as eating an unbalanced diet, smoking cigarettes, physical inactivity, consumption of alcohol, and others, which are major risk factors for emerging diseases like cardiovascular disorders, oncology disorders, diabetes, and others, are also increasing the demand of pharmaceuticals. Moreover, progress in the economy and urbanization of Middle East and African countries with developing brand loyalty of medicines by people in their daily use is also expected to boost the growth of the market.

Growth in Demographics

According to recent reports, it has been estimated that the proportion of the population aged 65 and over is expected to increase from 2.7% to 4% over the next decade in the Middle East region. Promising growth in demographics and an increase in the age of people are more likely to drive the Middle East and Africa markets in the upcoming years. Long life expectancy and strong population growth are the major convincing factors that are increasing pharmaceutical purchases in the region. Moreover, the rise in health awareness among people and increased per capita income of people is further contributing to the impressive growth rate of the pharmaceutical market in the region. A study conducted by Expensivity on December 12, 2022, found that older patients take more medications on average than younger patients, and women are more likely to take prescription drugs than men. Furthermore, they concluded that non-Hispanic white patients were more adaptable to prescription drug use than other racial and ethnic groups. According to the report published by the Economic Research Department of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), Saudi Arabia’s population over the age of 60 is predicted to be 25 percent of the total population of 40 million by the end of 2050. The population over 80 is expected to reach 1.6 million or 4% of the total population at the same time. This evident growth in the geriatric population of the Middle East and Africa region in upcoming years is expected to drive the MEA pharmaceuticals market in the forecast period.

Increase in Pharmaceutical Usage with Urbanization

The present-day pharmaceuticals marketplace within the Middle East and Africa location varies substantially according to the usage of pharmaceuticals made by each country of the region every year. For example, Saudi Arabia imports 85% of its medicines due to its high purchasing power and a cultural preference for expensive foreign brands, while Egypt accounts for 90% of its consumption, which is produced domestically, thereby increasing the market share of generic medicines. Africa has expanded its pharmaceutical industry significantly over the past decade and is expected to be worth around US$40 billion by 2020. The economic development of cities driven by the urbanization of the region has allowed more people to access medicines. This developing trust of people in high-brand medicines and the emerging supply of pharmaceutical drugs in the countries can further boost the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Increased Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases

Various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), and cancer, which come under the category of non-communicable diseases, are the major causes of the increase in the mortality rate of many countries in the Middle East and Africa region. The main risk factors for the increasing prevalence of these diseases in the country are uncontrolled consumption of tobacco and alcohol, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet. Moreover, other biological factors, such as obesity, elevated blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and elevated blood lipids, also contribute to the development of various other chronic diseases in the human body. Particularly, the incidence of type-2 diabetes (T2D) has extended dramatically in the Middle East over the last three decades. The top 10 countries with T2D prevalence globally, include more than six countries in the Middle East:

Kuwait (24%), Qatar (23%), Saudi Arabia (23%), Bahrain (22%), United Arab Emirates (19%), and Lebanon (17%).

The main struggle of these countries present in the Middle East and Africa region is to cope with very large masses of patients requiring medical assistance for the management of their particular health problems. According to 2019, the prevalence of diabetes in Kuwait was reported at 12.2%, which was higher than in other developing countries like the United States of America where the occurrence rate of diabetes was 10.8%. Moreover, in the same year, the total mortality rate accounted for diabetes mellitus in Kuwait was 284,049 deaths, where 139,651 were men and 144,398 were women. Moreover, in 2019 the age-standardized death rate due to diabetes was estimated at 20.9 deaths per 100,000 population. Reduce the increasing mortality rate in various countries of the region, which is the result of rising non-communicable diseases among the population of the nation, is further growing the need for medicinal assistance and developed pharmaceutical facilities in the region which is thereby accounting for the impressive growth rate of the Middle East & Africa Pharmaceuticals market.

The healthcare programs of countries in the Middle East region are more strongly shaped by the economic development program of the government. For example, Saudi Arabia is trying to move away from a purely oil-based economy, so growing the health sector is considered a good way to diversify. However, this investment is partly necessary as 25 percent of Saudis currently are suffering from diabetes, compared to only 10 percent of Americans. This is not necessarily attributed only due to a Western and sedentary way of life but also to genetic tendencies. Therefore, it is in the interest of the state to encourage innovative drug development. This is a problem that Africa is also facing as Western fast food is becoming more popular, due to which people are living inactive lifestyles.

Key Developments

• Recently, in December 2021, an agreement was announced by two leading pharmaceutical companies, Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company, a Saudi pharmaceutical company, and Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., a Chinese innovation–driven pharmaceutical company, to promote the supply of various oncology and specialty products in markets of the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. All the rights and responsibilities of promoting, registering, and importing medications, along with holding the market authorization for these pharmaceuticals in the countries of the Middle East and Saudi Arabia, are given to Tabuk Pharmaceuticals under the conditions of this agreement.
• In June 2022, a strategic collaboration was announced by PJSC Julphar and Hangzhou Zhongmei Huadong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, which are wholly owned subsidiary companies of Huadong Medicine Co., Ltd, in which Julphar will develop, manufacture, and commercialize Liraglutide, including both indications of obesity and diabetes in 17 countries of Middle East and North America (MENA) such as Oman, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and others.
• The Israeli startup, Protai, creates a platform for AI-driven drug discovery. A proteomic database with more than 50000 clinical samples is kept up to date by the startup. It pinpoints disease patterns and recreates protein-level biological processes. Its machine-learning algorithms identify the most suitable drug candidates for the undruggable proteome by observing the cellular function of diseases.

Market Segmentation

Middle East and Africa Pharmaceuticals Market is segmented based on Drug Type, Product Type, Application, Distribution Channel, Company, and Country. In terms of Drug Type, the pharmaceutical market is categorized into Generic Drugs v/s Branded Drugs. Based on Product Type, the market is divided into Prescription Drugs v/s Over-The-Counter Drugs. On the basis of Application, the pharmaceutical market is segmented into Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal, Oncology, Anti-infective, Metabolic Disorder, and Others. Based on distribution channels, the market is fragmented into Retail Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy, and E-Pharmacy.

Market Players

Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries, Bayer Consumer Health, Lifepharma FZE, Niner Pharmaceuticals LLC, GlaxoSmithKline & Neopharma, Pfizer Inc, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Sanofi Middle East, Novartis Middle East, Novo Nordisk Pharma Gulf FZ LLC. Roche Pharmaceuticals Middle East, AstraZeneca FZ LLC, HIKMA Pharmaceuticals, Merck Serono Middle East FZ-LLC, Abbott Laboratories S.A.

Report Scope:

In this report, the Middle East and Africa Pharmaceuticals Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends, which have also been detailed below:

• Pharmaceuticals Market, By Drug Type:
• Generic Drugs v/s Branded Drugs
• Pharmaceuticals Market, By Product Type:
• Prescription Drugs v/s Over-The-Counter Drugs
• Pharmaceuticals Market, By Application:
• Cardiovascular
• Musculoskeletal
• Oncology
• Anti-infective
• Metabolic Disorder
• Others
• Pharmaceuticals Market, By Distribution Channel:
• Retail Pharmacy
• Hospital Pharmacy
• E-Pharmacy
• Pharmaceuticals Market, By Country:
• Middle East & Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• South Africa
• Egypt
• Algeria
• Kuwait
• Jordan
• Tunisia
• Morocco
• Lebanon

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Middle East and Africa Pharmaceuticals Market.

Company Information

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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