Mubadala and US-based Resilience link up on biopharma manufacturing in UAE

Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investment arm will establish a new unit, operated by Resilience, in the Emirates to manufacture biopharmaceutical-related products

Badr Al Olama executive director, UAE Clusters at Mubadala (R) and Rahul Singhvi, chief executive of Resilience, at the signing ceremony. Photo: Mubadala

Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investment arm, and US-based National Resilience, a technology-focused manufacturer, have signed a biopharma investment deal that will boost the UAE’s life sciences sector.

Through a development agreement, Mubadala will establish a new manufacturing plant in the UAE, which will be operated by Resilience to make biopharmaceutical-related products, Mubadala said in a statement on Monday.

The Abu Dhabi unit will be the first “goods manufacturing practice” biopharma facility in the UAE, and the first in the region to manufacture essential life sciences products for advanced biologics, Mubadala said.

The range of therapeutics produced will be used to treat complex diseases such as cancer, infectious diseases, and inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.

The latest investment agreement follows Mubadala’s multiple rounds of equity financing in Resilience over the past two years, the company added, without disclosing the financial details of the deal.

“We are actively investing in innovation and firmly believe that by strengthening Abu Dhabi’s national life sciences ecosystem, we are building a future focused, sustainable and knowledge based economy,” said Badr Al Olama, executive director of the UAE Investment Platform at Mubadala.

“Through this agreement, Mubadala and its group companies will unlock further opportunities for growth within the life sciences ecosystem, and alongside our key partners, will play an instrumental role in establishing a state-of-the-art biopharma campus that will secure the region’s supply chain from Abu Dhabi.”

The two parties will play to their strengths to achieve shared goals. Mubadala plans to leverage the existing capabilities of its portfolio company Strata Manufacturing, the UAE-based advanced manufacturer.

Mubadala will also capitalise on the UAE initiative, the Hope Consortium, an Abu Dhabi-led partnership, which operates one of the most complete end-to-end pharma supply chains in the market today, it said.

Mubadala, which is at the heart of the UAE's efforts to diversify its economy, manages more than $284 billion in assets globally. The sovereign investor in recent years has stepped up investments in technology, mobility, clean energy and life sciences as it expands it portfolio.

At home, Mubadala is also at the forefront of the country's healthcare industry, investing in new ventures and forging partnerships to enhance the UAE's biopharma manufacturing capabilities, a move that will benefit the entire region.

Its partnership with Resilience follows the recent announcement of Mubadala Health and G42 Healthcare joining forces to set up an integrated healthcare technology company that aims to develop the regional healthcare landscape and patient-centric care.

In December, Mubadala joined forces with G42 to set up a biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Abu Dhabi.

The facility will tap into global vaccine and therapeutic products to strengthen regional supply chains and drive forward the UAE's diversification efforts, the companies said at the time.

Mubadala said its latest partnership is in the line with the UAE’s industrial strategy, which underscores life sciences as a priority sector in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. The sector has become one of the fastest-growing globally. The global life science products market is estimated to reach around $5 billion in value by the end of 2027, Mubadala said.

Resilience said its tie-up with Mubadala is a "significant milestone".

“We are excited to expand the footprint of our Resilience manufacturing network outside of North America,” said Rahul Singhvi, chief executive of Resilience.

“We look forward to working alongside America’s allies in the region to ensure that trusted, cutting-edge biopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity is available to support local, regional and global economies.”

The California-based National Resilience is an established biotechnology company. It is developing a network of end-to-end manufacturing solutions with the aim of ensuring that the existing and future needs for complex medicines are met quickly, safely and at scale.