In 2021, the world-famous pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, announced its plans to cooperate with Egypt in digitizing its healthcare industry. The move was seen as a vote of confidence in the Egyptian economy. But what exactly is Pfizer’s strategy in Egypt, and why is the company betting on the country’s future? Let’s ponder that thought.
The company isn’t new to the Egyptian market. In fact, it’s been actively operating in the country for 60 years. Since then, Pfizer has diligently supported the country’s healthcare needs.
Over the years, Pfizer has witnessed Egypt’s journey from being a developing economy to becoming an established market. And while there have been challenges along the way, the pharmaceutical brand remains optimistic about Egypt’s future and its potential to become a global leader in health innovation; so much so that it has recently revealed new plans within the country.
Pfizer’s Plans in Egypt
Pfizer recently held a press conference in Egypt to announce its new office inauguration and the company’s unique business model and strategy. The goal of the press conference was to highlight Pfizer’s vision for strengthening its presence in the Egyptian market.
The launch of the company’s new office in Cairo is set to mirror Pfizer’s strategy of providing first-in-class and innovative treatments based on the latest R&D methods. This new office comes in line with the company’s global identity which reflects creativity and innovation. It also embodies the culture of equity and inclusion at both internal and external levels.
“The U.S. public and private sectors continue to play an active and vital role in improving the quality of life for millions of Egyptians. Since the beginning of the global pandemic, the United States has donated more than 29 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to help save Egyptian lives and prevent dangerous new variants from spreading. A significant portion of the donated vaccines were made by Pfizer”.
– H.E. Ambassador Daniel Rubinstein, US Chargé d’Affairs to Egypt
Pfizer also announced its success in providing the latest treatments and medicines to 7 million patients in Egypt in 2022; along with its goal of reaching 7.6 million patients by the end of the year. The event also revealed Pfizer’s plan to launch 7 medicines in Egypt by 2023 most of them focusing on cancer healing, which will be of critical value to Egypt, seeing as how cancer is a mainstream illness in the country.
Pfizer’s 3-Component Business Model
So what is it about Pfizer’s business model that is proving to be successful in Egypt? For starters, the company is focused on providing the latest treatments and medicines to patients and is clearly pursuing one objective overall: helping patients gain access to medicine.
As Egypt continues to march toward economic reform, Pfizer remains committed to supporting the country’s health care needs. And through that commitment, we can categorize Pfizer’s strategy as follows:
1: Investing in People, Patients, and Partnerships
Pharmaceutical companies are under constant pressure to maintain their competitive edge in a global market. To do this, they need to focus on their most important asset: their people.
One way to develop and retain top talent is by providing training courses for medical workers to sharpen their skills and stay informed of the latest advances in the medical field. And Pfizer’s Country Manager for Egypt and Sudan, Ahmed El Shazly, noted that the company fully supports this notion and continues to invest in developing the capabilities of healthcare practitioners. In addition to that, the company is also accelerating digital transformation by transferring state-of-the-art technologies and global knowledge to the Egyptian market in line with Egypt Vision 2030.
2: Technology and Knowledge Transmission
As one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer has been incessantly working on becoming a supporter and partner of the Egyptian government and health sector stakeholders in its digital transformation. The company aims to improve health outcomes and better serve patients through more efficient communication and collaborative efforts.
Over the past years, Pfizer Egypt has prioritized providing the latest solutions and innovations to Egyptian patients. This is evident in their support of the healthcare industry’s transformation and alignment with the country’s strategic goals for 2030. It has also been reflected in their cooperation with the Egyptian government, and the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to promote digital health solutions and train doctors to utilize these solutions.
3: Long-Standing Added Value & Initiatives
Pfizer’s support of Egypt’s digital transformation also included some monumental contributions over the years. One of these contributions was Pfizer’s show of support for the 2019 presidential initiative to promote women’s health. Pfizer sponsored the awareness campaigns for this initiative; which successfully resulted in free examinations for nearly 23 million women starting from the age of 18. Pfizer also ensured that women received free treatment through cooperation with local NGOs.
“Pfizer’s new office in Egypt will help us continue our journey in Egypt that began 60 years ago during which we delivered medicines to millions of Egyptians. We aim to grow our presence in Egypt through cooperating with the Egyptian government and the healthcare sector, and continue to support the government’s initiatives to develop and provide safe and effective treatments based on the latest scientific breakthroughs.”
-Ahmed El-Shazly, Pfizer Country Manager for Egypt and Sudan.
This is just one example of how Pfizer is helping support the Egyptian government’s efforts to digitize the healthcare sector. By collaborating with other local health partners and providing training and educational resources, Pfizer is playing a pivotal role in making Egypt the region’s nucleus of future-forward medicine.
Pfizer’s Vision for Egypt
Pfizer is a leading pharmaceutical company with a strong presence in over 75 countries in the MERA region. And it strongly believes that it can achieve the same success -if not more- in Egypt.
Pfizer’s strategy for Egypt is focused on three main success pillars: increasing access to medicine and treatments, investing in research and development, and supporting local manufacturing. While a substantial part of this strategy was realized in 2022, the company is aiming even higher for 2023.
“Pfizer has a strong presence in more than 75 countries in the Middle East, Russia and Africa, which are pivotal for the growth of our business. We are committed to achieving equity and providing access to advanced and innovative treatments, and we were able to reach more than 27 million patients and 117,000 healthcare practitioners and had 47 product launches in 2022, and we expect to have 55 in 2023 in the region.”
– Patrick van der Loo, Pfizer Regional President for the Middle East, Russia and Africa (MERA) region.
Pfizer’s press conference not only showcased the company’s current successes but its vision for the future. By providing the latest treatments and medicines, setting clear goals for growth, and focusing on helping those most in need, Pfizer has created its own formula for success in Egypt.
Pfizer’s strategy in Egypt is ambitious but achievable. The company is focusing on expanding its product portfolio and developing its partnerships with both the public and private healthcare sectors. By doing so, Pfizer will be able to better meet the needs of Egyptian doctors and patients, while establishing itself as one of the leaders in the country’s pharmaceutical market.
