The Silicon Review - Best Business Review Magazine 50 Most Trustworthy Companies 2019 | Page 92

An Interview with Karim Smaira and Kamel Ghammachi,
Genpharm Co-founders and Managing Partners: ‘At
Genpharm, we are bound by a higher purpose, hence
the Focus on Rare Genetic Disorders and Orphan Drugs”
“We Commit to Patients, We Connect innovative Pharma with the Middle East Region to make
treatments available and Cure patients living in the region”
R
ising drug spending and
increased desire for
expenditure controls are
consistent themes across the US,
Europe, and emerging markets.
With healthcare systems under
increasing pressure to fund high-
cost, innovative therapies, payers
are looking towards new and
enhanced reimbursement processes
which align drug funding with
patient value. For pharmaceutical
companies, success will require
increasing flexibility to adapt to
new access scenarios brought about
by changing access dynamics and
geographical differences.
In light of the foregoing, we’re
thrilled to present Genpharm.
The company provides fast-track
market access to innovative and
specialty pharmaceutical companies
looking to expand into the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA)
region. It focuses mainly on orphan
drugs, rare and genetic disease
therapies and specialty products.
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Operating through evidence-
based medicine and high ethical
standards, Genpharm provides
its strategic partners with fast
and sustainable market access
solutions into the MENA region. The
company employs highly qualified
and experienced MSLs and KAMs.
It also offers regulatory, medical,
and logistical expertise. Armed with
the knowledge of the local business
culture and the vast network of
trusted partners, Genpharm’s
expertise allows it to create market
opportunities for innovative
multinational organisations.
The company’ current partners
include Novartis, AveXis, Sarepta,
PTC, Santhera, Ultragenyx, Sintetica,
Admedus, ABiotics, and many more.
Genpharm was incorporated in 2012
and is headquartered in the Dubai
Science Park (DSP), U.A.E. It has an
additional office location in Boston
in the heart of the Biotech hub.
Karim Smaira, CEO
and Kamel Ghammachi,
Chairman, spoke
exclusively to
The Silicon Review.
Below is an excerpt.
Why was the company
set up? And how did you
expand your company
and its offerings over the
years?
Genpharm’s set up was a fortunate
encounter between several factors.
Let’s take a look.
We had both worked together
indirectly since 2004. Based on
the chemistry that existed and the
strength of the combined experience
and expertise, the idea of building
something together started taking
shape in 2008.
The timing became appropriate by
the end of 2011 when I left Merck
and Kamel was thinking of exiting
his previous venture.
When we did our market analysis,
we identified a significant gap in
the rare disease space. Access to
orphan drugs in the MENA region
was cumbersome. There were
several challenges along the way
such as the overall lack of awareness
amongst the general public. The
patient pathway was complex, and
the diagnosis age compared to the
US and Europe was significantly
higher. Genetic diagnosis is not
easily accessible and there were
very few experts dealing with rare
diseases.
At the same time, based on the
heavy research that was being
conducted by pharmaceutical
companies with a clear focus on
rare and pediatric diseases, with
the number of drugs receiving
orphan drug designations and
accelerated pathway by the FDA
and EMA, we were convinced that