Saudi Arabia, Russia join forces on pharma supply

Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to expand cooperation on pharmaceutical supply systems, focusing on logistics, inspection flows and quality control standards across both countries.

The agreement was signed between the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) and Russia’s State Institute of Drugs and Good Practices on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The partnership aims at improving how medicines are checked, tracked and moved through regulatory systems.

Sami AlSager, Vice President for Operations, SFDA said, “This partnership helps us improve regulatory efficiency and supports smoother movement of pharmaceutical products while maintaining safety standards.”

A key part of the deal is to make inspection and certification processes more aligned, which is expected to reduce delays in approvals and improve movement of pharmaceutical products across borders. It also includes shared training programmes for inspectors and regulatory staff to standardise procedures.

The cooperation is aimed at strengthening pharmaceutical supply chains by improving coordination between regulatory bodies, especially in areas such as good manufacturing practices (GMP), inspection systems and quality management.

The two sides will also exchange technical expertise and best practices to support more consistent oversight of drug quality and compliance. The agreement is expected to improve reliability in pharmaceutical logistics by reducing procedural gaps between the two systems.