Abu Dhabi has agreed two pharma collaborations with Belgium to establish a global distribution corridor that aims to “serve the world in vaccine delivery”.

The first agreement, signed by the HOPE Consortium, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ABAC), Brussels Airport Company and Pharma.Aero, aims to establish “a fully compliant origin-to-destination” pharma air corridor between Abu Dhabi and Brussels Airport.

The dedicated pharma trade lane will “unite key compliant and sector certified supply chain stakeholders, including forwarders and ground handling agents”.

The second declaration of collaboration was signed by the HOPE Consortium, Pharma.Aero, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and the University of Antwerp. The partners have agreed to host the second edition of the ‘Pharma Logistics Masterclass’, from 5 to 9 September 2022.

A video of the signing agreement can be viewed directly below.

Abu Dhabi’s undersecretary of the Department of Health H.E. Dr. Jamal Al Kaabi said: “Our goal is to enhance Abu Dhabi’s positioning as a world-class pharma logistics hub and a destination focused on global welfare by investing in strategic public and private sector collaborations, and the allocation of expertise and resources.”

Earlier this year, a delegation from the HOPE Consortium met with pharmaceutical industry stakeholders in Brussels to showcase Abu Dhabi’s global vaccine distribution success.

The HOPE Consortium has since handled over 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, contributing to vaccination programmes in over 40 global destinations.

The HOPE Consortium’s chairman captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi said: “This milestone agreement will help strengthen our mutual relationship and allow us to achieve our government’s vision of establishing our emirate as a life sciences hub serving the region and the world.

“We are also pleased to collaborate with Antwerp University, Khalifa University, and Pharma.Aero in supporting the Masterclass taking place next year. Academic excellence is an important element in this journey, and we look forward to showcasing our strategic capabilities and sharing our learnings gained through developing what is one of the most complete end-to-end pharma supply chains in the world.”