Wyeth Pharmaceuticals inaugurates MENA HQ at Dubai Healthcare City

It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products, and non-prescription medicines that improve the quality of life for people worldwide. The company's major divisions include Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal Health.

The new office will serve as the region headquarters for over 300 employees across the Middle East and North Africa.

Mr. Joe Henein, Managing Director, MENA, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, adds,

"Wyeth recognizes the importance of DHCC as the location of choice for its HQ, mainly to help integrate within the regional health care community and infrastructure projected to be established in DHCC. The move will also help Wyeth to aggressively expand its operations in MENA, making this office one of the key affiliates in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region."

Dr. Abdul Ghaffar Abdul Ghafoor, Assistant Undersecretary for Curative Medicine, MoH, comments, "We are delighted to see world renowned companies such as Wyeth Pharmaceuticals making this commitment to DHCC, the world's first healthcare free zone. The success of this ambitious project relies on the willingness, investment and belief of companies working together to create a model for healthcare institution-building in the region."

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has been servicing the Middle East since 1963 when their first offices opened in Egypt. Wyeth's Middle East operation grew through the years to become one of the regional leaders in pharmaceutical and nutritional businesses. Wyeth global investment in research and development exceeded $2.7 billion in 2005. In the Middle East, Wyeth is engaging in clinical research across a wide range of therapeutic areas including transplantation, rheumatology, vaccines, anti-infectives and oncology.

Wyeth has an impressive history of innovation to be proud of: In the 1950's and 1960s', it introduced Dryvaz,® a freeze-dried smallpox vaccine, to the marketplace. The vaccine's success prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to officially thank Wyeth for its important and generous contribution to the worldwide eradication of smallpox.

Mr. Ulf Wiinberg, President Wyeth Pharmaceuticals EMEA, concludes, "Wyeth's vision of leading the way to a healthier world means discovering, developing, manufacturing and marketing healthcare products that improve lives and deliver outstanding value to our customers and shareholders. It also means building partnerships and using our resources to build a better, healthier way of life around the world. In this way, we work with others like DHCC who are on the front lines of creating better communities."