Quintiles is extending its global footprint to provide commercial services in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through an agreement with Dayarn Pharma, a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based company that specializes in biopharmaceutical sales, marketing and regulatory efforts needed to maximize brands in the Arab Gulf region.

The partnership will allow Quintiles and its joint venture partners in the region to deliver pharmaceutical contract sales force and sales promotion outsourcing services to customers looking to accelerate outcomes by working in new geographies including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The partnership reinforces Quintiles existing presence in the region following establishment of joint ventures in Turkey in 2007 and Egypt in 2010.

James Featherstone, senior vice president of commercial services at Quintiles, said, “There is significant growth in the Middle East and North Africa market, with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Algeria and Egypt standing out as the largest markets in terms of projected growth potential and value. There is strong demand for services in the region from our biopharma customers seeking to expand their geographic footprint while minimizing risk.”

Featherstone said the pharma market in MENA is growing at an annual rate of 12% to 15%, with significantly higher growth in the novel, patented product segment. “Countries currently spend 6% of their GDP on public healthcare, and this is forecasted to nearly double to 11.6% over the next decade,” he said. “Dayarn brings a wealth of expertise and experience in delivering the high-quality sales and marketing solutions to maximize brands to their full potential.”

Omar Khan, CEO of Dayarn Pharma, said, “We are proud to be working alongside Quintiles to offer high quality commercialization services to support multinational pharmaceutical companies looking to expand into new geographies. With this deal, we are strengthening our ability to be the partner of choice for multinational biopharmaceutical and healthcare companies in MENA.”