Saudi Arabia’s $1.3 billion biotech push following Riyadh summit

One deal includes a $130 million vaccine manufacturing plant, which would be the Gulf’s largest, in a push to become a global biotech hub by 2040. Saudi Arabia announced $1.3 billion in biotech deals following a Riyadh summit last week, part of its push to become a global hub for the industry by 2040. They include a $130 million vaccine manufacturing plant that would be the Gulf’s largest. The deals build on Riyadh’s drive to lure global drugmakers: Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Novo have all set up regional headquarters in the capital. Elsewhere in the Gulf, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain are also betting on AI-driven drug discovery. Saudi Arabia is using the technology to model disease transmission and design treatments, and wants a bigger role in medical research and clinical trials while building up local talent, Bandar Alknawy, CEO of the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, told Semafor.