MSD, one of the world's health care leaders, a subsidiary of Merck & Co Inc., Whitehouse Station NJ, and Sobol Medical Trading Co. Ltd. (Sobol), a bio-pharmaceuticals company in the Kingdom have executed a long-term exclusive agreement to distribute GARDASIL (Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent - Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant), ROTATEQ (Rotavirus Vaccine, Live, Oral, Pentavalent), PNEUMOVAX 23 (Pneumococcal Vaccine Polyvalent) and other MSD vaccines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). As part of this arrangement, Sobol will be responsible for distribution and promotion of these products within the Kingdom upon receiving certain regulatory approvals from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Saudi Arabia. The agreement also includes, upon the achievement of specific milestones, a technologies transfer from MSD to Sobol for GARDASIL, ROTATEQ and PNEUMOVAX 23 which will grant rights to Sobol to manufacture certain steps of these vaccines locally.
“Sobol is committed to advancing the health and wellbeing of the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Prince Majid bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, chairman, Sobol.
“This collaboration is an exciting opportunity to meet the unmet medical needs of the communities in which we operate and to bring MSD's vaccines to more people who need them,” said Soren Bo Christiansen, president, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA), MSD.
Nizar Khogeer, partner and executive president, Sobol, said: “This agreement is timely and consistent with our company's growth strategy and will be a big step forward in positioning Sobol as an international leader in biopharmaceuticals. Our mission is to be an active partner in consolidating all partners in the biotechnology sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to achieve economical and social development. We are proud to be part of our country's initiative.”
