COVID-19 Impact on World-Wide Pharma Sector

The past year has been the most transformative one I’ve ever had in the pharmaceutical sector. The global sector was compelled to analyse, rethink, and reconfigure operations in a matter of months to prepare for the uncertainties of COVID-19.

Many new prospects have surfaced in the UAE, the most important pharmaceutical hub in the Middle East. More than 80% of the World Health Organization’s global medical Covid response was distributed thanks to Dubai’s International Humanitarian City, which led to a sharp rise in pharmaceutical exports and re-exports from the emirate in 2020. Similar to this, Abu Dhabi declared in March 2021 that the Sinopharm vaccine from China would be produced in the United Arab Emirates, giving local manufacturing a much-needed boost.

The epidemic has opened up new commercial opportunities, but it has also brought along a lot of difficulties. First, how to continue serving clients and other stakeholders while travelling is severely disrupted. The second concern is how to distribute medicine when global supply systems are seriously disrupted. Third, how to promote flexibility in the workplace to meet the drastically shifting needs of workers in all industries.

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Challenge one: online participation

Prior to the pandemic, all pharmaceutical firms used the same go-to-market strategy: Sales reps presented the advantages of their company’s medical products to doctors in person. Doctors would then decide whether to recommend using the items or not after those discussions.

For many years, this type was utilised often. However, after the Covid-19 epidemic, it quickly altered as travel restrictions on a global and even a local level restricted face-to-face interactions and accelerated the demand for digital solutions.

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Despite my long-standing support for digital adoption, there was a lot of resistance before Covid. People believed that a digital strategy wouldn’t be successful since doctors preferred to keep in-person relationships with their patients and pharmaceutical corporations. Fortunately, they were mistaken.

Everyone had to immediately adapt when the Middle East was placed under a strict lockdown, from suppliers and manufacturers to physicians and patients. We taught everyone on our staff how to use our virtual meeting platform in just 10 days. We also introduced the software to our customers, who responded favourably right away.

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Additionally, we set up virtual spaces where well-known medical professionals could “meet” regional physicians. Some of the most fascinating thought leaders from the US and Europe have addressed our consumers in Dubai about the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and many other therapeutic fields. These incredibly valuable workshops gave participants the chance to interact with some of the most renowned specialists in the world, to share information, and to inspire creativity in a way that had never been done before in our sector.

Additionally growing in popularity is telemedicine. It was still in its infancy prior to the pandemic, but it is now universally accepted. One of our ophthalmology medications from Bayer, for instance, is injected into a patient’s eye every two to three months to help avoid blindness. Doctors were unable to check patients in person to determine whether an injection was required because outpatient clinics were closed throughout the lockdown. We are currently working on a method where the patient uses a smartphone to take a high-quality photo of their eye. The doctor receives the image and uses it to determine whether the patient needs to be treated in a hospital.

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Second obstacle: seamless distribution

Supply chain vulnerabilities were also exposed by Covid-19’s effects. Hard lockdowns and sweeping travel bans put the durability and dependability of the chains where narcotics were once manufactured and flown to local distribution hubs in question.

Pharma businesses are therefore seeking to reduce their route to market, not just in Dubai but all across the world. We have opened a regional distribution centre in Jebel Ali Free Zone South since the pandemic started. Delivery to nations including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, and Libya will be accelerated, and the time to market will be cut by up to 58% as a result. Additionally, it will make it easier to supply more than 3,400 tonnes of pharmaceuticals to the area each year, enhancing our Middle Eastern distribution strategy and streamlining our last-mile operations.

Two top-notch international airports, the busiest port in the Middle East, and a first-rate road system are all found in Dubai, which is only an eight-hour flight away from two-thirds of the world’s population. As a result, the emirate has placed itself in the middle of the logistical system, highlighting its role as the principal distribution hub for the area.

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Furthering this, I predict that when travel restrictions loosen, there will be a dramatic rise in the number of persons choosing to fly to Dubai in order to acquire their Covid-19 immunisation. This, in my opinion, will be particularly true once the UAE begins domestic vaccine production.

I think remote diagnostics will experience a spike in innovation in the future. As fast connectivity will be necessary for the transfer of large amounts of data, I also think that 5G will have a significant impact on how well these innovations operate. 5G is so crucial that many of my industry counterparts and I think it’s just as significant as the beginning of the internet. In one highly effective, globally connected digital world, it will be possible to install tens of thousands of sensors and connect them to various artificial intelligence gadgets.

Living and working in Dubai has numerous benefits, one of which is the emirate’s dedication to cutting-edge technology. Even though 5G won’t be widely available in Europe for several years, it is currently present in some areas of the UAE and will likely be expanded upon in 2021.

With appealing incentives including ten-year residency for top IT talent and a top 20 score on the 2020 Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, the emirate is working hard to create the ideal environment for technology entrepreneurs. When it comes to the development of a top-notch, forward-looking digital environment, Dubai is definitely setting the bar high.

In the end, this enables us to ship our goods to important markets like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the entire UAE. We as a business and as an industry must comprehend the importance of being at the forefront of digitalization. How can we effectively serve our clients by utilising developing technology? How can we innovate to provide a service that is more effective, adaptable, and affordable? In the upcoming months and years, we need to address these important questions.

Third obstacle: flexible scheduling

We observed a very significant and rising necessity to reevaluate our work policies in the summer of 2020. Previously, employees would report to work at 9 am and leave at 5 pm. As parents juggled homeschooling and we were compelled to work from home due to the lockdown, we rapidly realised that this arrangement was no longer effective. In actuality, the entire workday was altered. As a result, we created one of the Middle East’s most advanced and forward-thinking personnel practises.

We now provide employees the freedom to work whenever and from anywhere they choose. Each employee must support their team’s goals and departmental deadlines, but if working until 9 p.m. while kids are asleep is more convenient, that is OK. By allowing our personnel to work more flexibly, we also improve chances for, in particular, young moms who may not be able to handle a nine-to-five, office-based employment. This flexible work arrangement is directly related to our employee inclusion and diversity policy.

Fathers can also benefit from it, making them more effective domestic helps. In essence, it enables workers to better balance their personal and professional lives.

These modifications resulted from Covid. We would never have changed our work policies if it weren’t for the epidemic, and I’m sure many other industry players would have done the same. If staff had various shifts, we would have been concerned about productivity and the difficulties that could arise. Therefore, the health problem has radically changed how we function inside.

Economic turmoil and enormous tragedy have been brought on by Covi-19. But I think that ten years from now, we will look back on 2020 with mixed emotions of regret and amazement as we count the vast number of innovations that the pandemic’s consequences have sparked and will continue to stimulate in the months and years to come.

People are already discussing a return to normal as vaccination rollouts continue in Dubai and throughout the world. But the normality we once knew will never happen again. The world is altering for the better in the long run.