The ambitions and remarkable achievements of the public group in the anti-cancer drugs crucial field in Algeria were highlighted by the Saidal Group's General Secretary, Abdelouahed Grimes, during his interview on national radio. He indicated that in 2022, the public company contributed 4% of the national market for anti-cancer drugs, which represents a USD 600 million annual value.
However, by the following year, this share had increased to 7%, and now, in 2024, it proudly stands at 10%, according to Mr Grimes, who underlined the ambitious goal of achieving a 35% market share by 2025, illustrating the exponential and strategic growth of local production.
This growth is not only quantitative but also qualitative, according to the Saidal manager, who pointed out the public group was offering, in 2022, between 6 and 8 types of anti-cancer drugs on the domestic market, while in 2023, this number jumped to 11. “Currently, the company offers a wide range of 30 different drugs This significant expansion testifies to the significant progress made in production capacity for treatments as complex as anti-cancer drugs”, he emphasized.
According to the same manager, the Group's financial results have also followed this upward trajectory, with a spectacular increase in overall sales of almost 50% in just two years. “This outstanding performance is attributed to a new corporate policy focused on optimizing existing resources and strategically expanding product manufacturing and marketing,” he explained.
The breakthrough in turnover is attributed, according to the national radio guest, to the production of anti-cancer drugs, which has contributed to an increase of 25% over the year 2022. “We expect this trend to continue, and by 2025 we will have increased this figure to over 23%”, he added.
According to Saidal's General Secretary, the Group aims to produce high-quality medicines at very competitive prices, because, in his opinion, “it's also a question of optimizing the national budget devoted to this range of medicines, by supplying hospital pharmacies as much as possible, so that they depend as little as possible on imports”.
Saidal's commitment is not limited to production but plans to step up its efforts. “Today, we're in the anti-cancer production phase, but in the future, we're planning to develop the research and development aspect, to master this technology and go into full-process production”, he says.
70 new drugs expected
Concerning the overall production of the Saidal Group, the guest on national radio indicated in 2023, the public company produced 160 medicines, aiming to add, at the end of the current year, no less than 70 new medicines produced locally in different specialities.
According to Mr. Grimes, drug production is a long process that has to involve several stages, including the study phase, the development phase and the time-consuming regulatory phase.
“We have now begun production of 19 new generic products in various specialities such as cardiology, dermatology, anti-cancer, diabetes, etc., which have been registered and marketed by the PCH (central hospital pharmacy),” he stated.
As regards international prospects, Mr. Grimes mentioned the challenges and opportunities associated with exports, pointing out that medicinal products are “very special and require very strict standards and conditions to enter world markets”.
“The African market, for example, imports from the European continent despite the high cost of medicines in these countries compared with Algeria”, stressed the Saidal manager, pointing out that to introduce the national product into these markets, “this requires regulatory standards and also diplomatic relations with these countries”.
He reveals the Saidal Group exported, in 2023, a 12-million-dinar value; for the current year, the company has reached 13 million dinars in exports, “which is a figure set to be increased by the end of the year”, according to the same official.
