RIYADH: Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) granted the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. 100 percent ownership of its business in the Kingdom to, among other things, import, export and trade in products, permitting a supply of quality innovative and essential medicines directly to the Saudi market.
The new license is effective immediately.
Majid Al-Qassabi, minister of commerce and investment, and chairman of SAGIA’s board of directors, said: “As one of the international companies investing in the Kingdom, Pfizer has been granted a trading license with 100 percent ownership, a step that will contribute to the expansion of its activities for the Saudization of the pharmaceutical industry in Saudi Arabia.
"The company proposed a distinct action plan for future projects and the Saudi government looks forward to providing Pfizer with the support it needs, as part of an effective partnership between the public and the private sector in order to achieve the development goals of the Kingdom, which are crystallized by Vision 2030, and part of which aims to enhance the role of the private sector in the Saudi economy.”
Pfizer plans to open in 2017 a facility in the King Abdullah Economic City to manufacture 16 of its leading medicines.
The trading license will also allow the company to consider many other investment projects aimed at advancing the health care goals of the National Transformation Program (NTP 2020), which is the first phase of Vision 2030, spearheaded by the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) chaired by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
John Young, group president, Pfizer Essential Health, said: “We are honored to be one of the first companies to receive fast-track approval of a trading license.
"This is yet another step in our long-term commitment to the Kingdom and a reflection of our shared commitment, with the government, to provide a continued reliable supply of innovative and essential medicines to Saudi patients.”
He underlined that Pfizer’s obtaining the trading license from the SAGIA demonstrates the shared commitment to developing the Kingdom’s healthcare market.
“Pfizer Inc. has set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of healthcare products and its global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's best-known consumer healthcare products,” said Young.
SAGIA grants Pfizer 100% ownership of KSA business
SAGIA grants Pfizer 100% ownership of KSA business
Closing Bell: Saudi main market ends week in red at 11,189
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index closed lower at the end of the trading week on Thursday, falling 1.34 percent, or 152.54 points, to finish at 11,188.73.
The benchmark index opened at 11,320.52 and trended lower throughout the session, finishing well below its previous close of 11,341.27.
Market breadth was sharply negative, with only 28 gainers compared with 236 decliners. Trading activity saw a volume of 239 million shares exchanged, with total turnover reaching SR5.5 billion ($1.47 billion).
In the parallel market, Nomu closed higher, rising 0.23 percent to 23,865.95, although decliners continued to outnumber advancers. The MT30 index closed at 1,508.60, down 1.46 percent, shedding 22.38 points by the end of the session.
Among the session’s top gainers, Dar Al Majed Real Estate Co. led advances, rising 5.43 percent to close at SR9.91.
Al Aziziah REIT Fund added 4.67 percent to SR4.48, while Al Majed Oud Co. gained 2.81 percent to SR161.20. AFG International Co. advanced 2.45 percent to SR17.17, and Al Mawarid Manpower Co. rose 1.37 percent to SR125.70.
On the losing side, Saudi Research and Media Group posted the steepest decline, falling 6.88 percent to SR107. Cherry Trading Co. dropped 6.23 percent to SR28.88, while Saudi Arabian Mining Co. slipped 5.41 percent to SR72.55.
Almasane Alkobra Mining Co. declined 5.38 percent to SR102, and Power and Water Utility Co. for Jubail and Yanbu ended 4.56 percent lower at SR31.36.
On the announcements front, Saudi Industrial Investment Group released its interim financial results for the twelve-month period ended Dec. 31, 2025, reporting a return to profitability on an annual basis despite posting a quarterly loss.
The company recorded a net loss of SR104 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a net profit of SR201 million in the same quarter of the previous year, which it attributed mainly to lower selling prices, higher operating costs, and increased general and administrative expenses.
For the full year, however, the group posted a net profit attributable to shareholders of SR197 million, compared with SR161 million a year earlier, supported by higher sales volumes and improved operational performance at several subsidiaries. The stock last traded at SR14.77, down 3.59 percent.
Separately, Saudi Exchange Co. announced the approval of a request by Merrill Lynch Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to terminate its market-making activities for Saudi Arabian Oil Co., effective Feb. 8.
The exchange said the termination relates specifically to the market-making agreement for Saudi Aramco shares and was approved in line with applicable market-making regulations.
