The Global Health Exhibition secured over SAR 46 bn of investment on its opening day. Held at Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center under the theme “to invest in health,” the four-day event brings together over 160k industry leaders, 500 global speakers, and 1k investors, featuring more than 2k exhibiting brands. Total investments set to reach SAR 124 bn, Health Minister Fahad Al Jalajel said on stage.

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Agreements on the first day spanned four main sub-sectors. Hospital establishment and infrastructure development attracted nearly SAR 31.5 bn, venture capital and investments funds committed over SAR 12 bn, life sciences secured more than SAR 2 bn, while digital health saw a number of agreements of undisclosed sums, according to the exhibition’s live stream on X (watch, runtime: 01:12:57).

THE BREAKDOWN-

#1- Hospital and infrastructure development dominated the first day’s announcements in terms of value, with over SAR 31.5 bn worth of investments, committed by local and global investors aiming to expand capacity and ramp up innovation and healthcare excellence in the sector. They include:

  • Hayat National Hospitals Group announced a SAR 7 bn strategic investment plan, expanding its capacity to over 15 hospitals and more than 4k beds;
  • Moroccan group Akdital put forth a SAR 5 bn strategic expansion plan into the Saudi market;
  • Mouwasat Medical Services also announced a SAR 5 bn expansion plan for establishing new hospitals in Jeddah, Yanbu, Al Ahsa, Katif, and Al Khobar, among other cities;
  • Al Rajhi Medicine will pour SAR 4 bn into developing a new specialty centers;
  • Burjeel Holdings inked a SAR 3.7 bn MoU to invest in different specialities in the Kingdom by 2030;
  • International Medical Center (IMC) will allocate SAR 3 bn to expand in Makkah, Ohoud, and Abhor, along with investing in medical education;
  • SMC Healthcare will invest over SAR 3 bn for developing three advanced hospitals and independent primary health clinics;
  • Medical Center Juventus (J|Medical) inked a SAR 500 mn strategic collaboration to localize sports medicine services.

#2- Investments from local and global venture capital and investment funds followed, with host of investment agreements worth over SAR 12 bn, including:

  • Singapore-based Hillhouse Investment sealed a SAR 5.5 bn collaboration to localize pharmaceutical manufacturing;
  • Al Fozan Holding Company pledged SAR 2.5 bn to develop the Kingdom’s next generation of clinical infrastructure;
  • Singapore-based TMV CapitalHealthcare will allocate SAR 1.5 bn to expand the rehabilitation network and long-term health care facilities;
  • Seha Capital along with Esnad Advisory committed SAR 1 bn to develop a support program bridging the financial gap across the healthcare and biotechnology sectors;
  • GKSD Investment Holding pledged SAR 1 bn investment in the Kingdom’s healthcare sector;
  • Germany-based Goldtrack Ventures are setting a SAR 940 mn biotechnology growth fund — the Kingdom’s first;
  • Local biotechnology VC firm IB Ventures pledged SAR 175 mn for a national bio technology and venture building initiative;
  • Sanabil Studio by Redesign Health sealed an agreement to launch up to 20 healthcare startups.

#3- The life sciences domain followed with over SAR 2.4 bn, with PIF’s PharmaceuticalInvestment Company (Lifera) inking multiple MoUs to localize vaccine manufacturing in the Kingdom, including two MoUs with Sanofi and MSD, and a non-binding MoU with Pfizer. Lifera also signed a non-binding term sheet to set up a JV with Jamjoom Pharma to manufacture vaccines locally. The domain also witnessed half a dozen more of agreements including:

  • US-based Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) signed a SAR 1 bn “strategic partnership” to localize medical technologies and training;
  • Arabian Trade House also forged a SAR 1 bn partnership with Germany-based Fresenius Kabi to establish a factory to localize medical technologies manufacturing of blood banks;
  • Almana Group sealed a SAR 330 mn agreement to manufacture ultrasound imaging devices;
  • Roche Saudi Arabia inked a SAR 20 mn partnership with the Health Ministry to develop clinical research capabilities;
  • US-based diabetes care firm Abbott sealed a partnership to foster innovation, establish a digital health R&D hub, and manufacture continuous glucose monitoring sensors;
  • Siemens Healthineers partnered with the Health Ministry to develop the Shift Innovation Centre in Riyadh, boosting regional innovation and research;
  • Philips sealed an MoU to boost the healthcare ecosystem and care delivery through AI-enabled healthcare.

#4- Pharmaceutical industry also a boost, with the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (Modon) alone securing up to SAR 235 mn in investments, it said on X. The agreements included::

#5- Digital health got an undisclosed price tag slice of the cake, with homegrown digital healthcare firm Lean Business Services securing Saudi Food and Drug Authority approval for AI physician clinical trials with PIF’s Humain, partnering with Google Cloud for an AI health coach on the Sehhaty app, and collaborating with Whoop and the Defense Ministry to enhance digital health, quality of life, and health data integration.

ALSO FROM THE EXHIBITION-

#1- UAE’S M42 expands into the Kingdom: Mubadala-backed healthtech firm M42 established M42 Saudi Arabia, according to a press release. M42 was already active in the Kingdom and has worked with the Health Ministry, operating more than 40 Diaverum clinics in 33 cities — which the new unit will take over operations for. The clinics specialize primarily in renal care, but M42 Saudi Arabia will expand into multi-omics, digital health, and population health programs targeting metabolic and lifestyle diseases.

More to come: M42 will launch Saudi-led pilot programs and R&D collaborations to support Vision 2030’s goal of building a precision, preventive, and predictive healthcare system.

#2- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) voiced plans to inaugurate the Kingdom’s first facility for manufacturing genetic and cellular therapies by year-end, it said in a statement yesterday. Located on the hospital’s Riyadh campus and spanning 5k sqm, the project will decrease treatment costs by an estimated SAR 8 bn by 2030, allowing patients to access advanced treatments at home, covering about 9% of local demand.

At its full operational capacity, the facility is set to manufacture some 2.4k treatment doses annually. It will also develop CAR T-cell and stem-cell therapies, re-engineering a patient’s own cells to fight cancer or repair damaged tissue.

#3- The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) launched the Saudi Pharmacopoeia serving as a nationally unified basis for drug quality and specifications in the Kingdom, it said in a statement yesterday.

IN OTHER HEALTHCARE NEWS-

Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group’s board approved an expansion plan worth up to SAR 2 bn to build new hospitals in both Riyadh and Dammam City, with clinics for various medical specialties, according to two separate Tadawul disclosures yesterday. Both projects are set to be funded by the group’s internal resources, alongside long-term Shariah-compliant loans from undisclosed local banks.

The details: The group will develop a SAR 991 mn 160-bed new integrated hospital in Riyadh ’s Al Munsiyah District on Dammam Road, on a 15.1k sqm of land operated and owned by its subsidiary Bawabat AlGharb for Healthcare Company. The group will also invest SAR 988 mn to establish a 145-bed new integrated hospital at Al Manar District on King Fahad Road in Dammam City, on a 17.2k sqm plot of land operated and owned by its subsidiary Sehat AlSahel Company.

Construction works for both hospitals will kick off in 4Q 2025, set to conclude in 4Q 2028, allowing a trial period to commence in 1Q 2029. Commercial operations will follow in 2Q 2029 after securing the necessary approvals.

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