About $33 billion in health care deals are set to be announced at the Global Health Exhibition, Riyadh’s other big event this week alongside the Future Investment Initiative, a health ministry spokesperson told Semafor.
More than 160,000 people are expected to attend the conference, and technology will be in the spotlight. Among the deals: Lifera, a unit of the kingdom’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, will cooperate with MSD, Pfizer, and Sanofi on localizing production of pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Google, meanwhile, plans to launch a new AI-powered health coach for citizens and a clinical trial for “AI physicians.”
Saudi Arabia has made the health care and pharmaceuticals industry a priority as it looks to improve citizens’ health and reduce a reliance on imported medicines.