Arcera Life Sciences a global life sciences firm based in Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd, an innovation-led international pharmaceutical and healthcare company, have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This agreement establishes a long-term strategic partnership focused on licensing, advancing technologies, driving neuroscience innovation, and creating value across the global life sciences landscape.

Aligned with the broader Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and the UAE, as well as Abu Dhabi’s Healthcare Life Sciences Vision 2030, the MoU aims to unlock new avenues for innovation and market access in both regions. By combining Fosun Pharma’s strong research, development, and manufacturing expertise with Arcera’s global commercial reach and market access capabilities, the partnership positions Abu Dhabi as a key gateway connecting Chinese biotech innovation with international markets. It also seeks to accelerate patient access to cutting-edge treatments across the Middle East and beyond.

Under the agreement, the two companies will explore collaboration in three primary areas:

Isabel Afonso, CEO of Arcera, noted that the agreement represents a significant milestone in building a globally connected life sciences ecosystem anchored in the UAE. She emphasized that combining Fosun Pharma’s drug development expertise with Arcera’s commercial and manufacturing strengths creates a powerful model for accelerating innovation and improving patient access. She also highlighted that this partnership marks Arcera’s first major step in positioning Abu Dhabi as a link between Asian innovation and global markets.

Xingli Wang, Co-President of Fosun Pharma and CEO of its Innovative Medicines Division, described the partnership as an important step in expanding the company’s global footprint and strengthening international collaboration. He expressed confidence that Fosun Pharma’s decades of experience in R&D and manufacturing would support the partnership’s success and stated that both organizations aim to work closely together to bring innovative therapies to patients across the Middle East and worldwide.

Advancing Access to Healthcare through Innovation and Partnerships
Expanding access to medicines and healthcare relies on the continuous creation of evidence-driven solutions to address unmet medical needs. To support this mission, we actively engage in collaborative scientific efforts with academic institutions, research organizations, start-ups, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and health maintenance groups.

These partnerships help us discover external innovations that complement our internal R&D objectives. This collaborative approach enhances our scientific presence and accelerates the expansion of our innovative drug pipeline, aligning with the Step-up Innovation focus of our Pivot to Growth strategy. Ultimately, these initiatives aim to reduce the time needed for drug discovery and development and improve the likelihood of identifying successful therapeutic candidates.

Our Model for Innovation and Collaboration
Our innovation strategy is multi-faceted—bridging internal priorities (uncovered through team workshops and consultations) with external opportunities identified via detailed mapping, database analysis, AI-based scouting, and traditional methods. By being actively involved in key trade and industry associations, we strengthen our position within the global biotech ecosystem. As a trusted collaborator, we offer access to industry insights and the expertise of our skilled teams.

Partnerships Across the U.S. and Europe
In the United States, we have strategic innovation partnerships with top academic institutions including Harvard University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Oklahoma, and University of Pennsylvania.

In Europe, we’ve been an active participant in the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)—Europe’s largest public-private partnership in life sciences—since 2019. This initiative supports the development of advanced vaccines, medicines, and treatment methods. As of 2024, we are involved in over eight IMI consortia, covering the full spectrum of drug development. Two of the latest projects focus on biologics and biomarker research:

Israel as a Strategic Innovation Hub
Given our strong historical roots in Israel, the country plays a vital role in our global innovation efforts. Since re-establishing our focus there in 2020, we have initiated around 50 research collaborations with Israeli scientists. These projects have secured 18 grants from the Israel Innovation Authority, with two receiving additional funding in 2024.

Key Israel-based innovation initiatives include:

Research into Public Health Needs
Our research team gathers and interprets public health and epidemiological data to assess the clinical, economic, and social needs of patients in key therapeutic areas such as neurology, psychiatry, immunology, and oncology. We focus on understanding disease burden, testing innovative clinical education tools, and improving access to treatment. This data also supports trial design by helping to identify the most appropriate patient populations and inclusion criteria. In 2024, we presented findings at 176 scientific conferences and published 55 articles in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals.

Teva’s 2024 Academic Publications on PubMed (55 total):

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