There is a lack of pharmaceutical companies in Kuwait with only a little manufacturing pharmaceutical companies in the country such as the Saudi Pharmaceutical Industries Company (KSPICO), and Roots Pharmaceutical Company. The tiny rich country on the tip of the Persian Gulf has a booming oil and gas industry but lacks diversification into other sectors, such as the pharma industry. The pharmaceutical industry in Kuwait is in a growing stage.
Since there is low local production of pharmaceutical products, there is a high dependence on imported drugs, both branded and generic brands. The prices of the drugs are high even with the close monitoring by the government. The government has permitted some pharmaceutical companies in Kuwait to build pharma factories in collaboration with Public Authority for Industry (PAI).
Patented medications and prescription drugs dominate the market in Kuwait because of the relatively high wealth and income of the population, while over-the-counter drugs retain a smaller fragment of the market. Analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications have the largest share, followed by respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, anti-infective, CNS, and musculoskeletal drugs.
Foreign multinational pharmaceutical companies in Kuwait dominate the market. These companies are Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Astrazeneca, GSK, MSD, Abbott, Roche, Sanofi, Abbvie, Novartis, while local players in the Middle East such as SPIMACO, Julpar, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Tabuk also have some good share of the market.
The major pharmaceutical distributors in Kuwait are Al Mojil Drug Company, Al- Hajery, Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Company, Bader Sultan And Brothers Company, YIACO Medical Company, and Pharmazone. (Research and Markets)
