Dubai- United Arab Emirates, 5 April 2021:  His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman & CEO of Emirates Group and Chairman of Dubai Airports officially inaugurated today the 26th edition of Dubai International Pharmaceuticals & Technologies Conference and Exhibition – DUPHAT, the biggest pharmaceutical event in the Middle East and North Africa region, dedicated to pharmacy professionals. The event takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and runs until the 7th of April, DUPHAT brings together top pharmacy professionals, researchers, and experts under one roof, and provides a unique platform that facilitates learning and business opportunities through exploring and exchanging of knowledge about the latest breakthroughs, new advances in drug design and research. 

Following the official opening ceremony, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum toured the exhibition that occupies an area of 27,720 Square Meters, accompanied by a number of prominent healthcare officials from the government and private sector, leading pharmacy professionals, top pharma experts and key decision makers in the industry, where the delegation was briefed about how new research is enabling superior drug research and how new technology advances are proving helpful in designing top pharmaceutical products.  

Dr. Ali Al Sayed Hussain, Chairman of DUPHAT said: “The 26th edition of DUPHAT is an exceptional one, as it brings together people from the pharmaceutical industry both virtually and physically. This year, the conference is richer than ever, with topics that dive deep into the field and discuss the latest findings and innovations, which allows for an even greater opportunity for attendees to enrich their knowledge. Now, more than ever, sharing knowledge is instrumental, and coming together as one community is timely and essential in our growth and advancement as professionals and as a community as well.”

From his side, Prof. Paul W. Bush, Vice President, Global Resource Development and Consulting at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists ‘ASHP’, Professor Adjunct at the University of North Carolina Eschelman School of Pharmacy, USA said: “On behalf of ASHP’s over 58,000 members and staff team, I would like to congratulate you on the longstanding success of the Dubai International Pharmaceuticals & Technologies Conference and Exhibition (DUPHAT).  The work performed during (DUPHAT) continues to be instrumental in helping to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes for our patients. We are very pleased to offer a special ASHP Exclusive half-day session on Tuesday at DUPHAT 2021 focused on practice advancement, ambulatory care, medication-use technology and healthcare quality.  ASHP values the strong relationship we have with DUPHAT and the Dubai Health Authority, and we look forward to continuing to partner to advance the team-based care roles of pharmacists, and on behalf of ASHP, we wish you a successful and rewarding DUPHAT 2021 conference.”

On the first day, DUPHAT 2021 presented a rich comprehensive conference program that focuses on key scientific topics related to the latest developments in pharmaceutical sciences. A few of the sessions include: ‘Challenges & Impact of HTA and AI’, ‘Opportunities in Pharmacoeconomics & Empowering Regulations’, ‘Pharmacy Governance & Adoption of AI’, ‘COVID 19 & Health Economics’ and ‘Pharmacy for Future & Insights in HTA’, in addition to: ‘Leading Change to Advance Pharmacy Practice’, ‘Realizing the Full Impact of Medication-Use Technology and Automation’, ‘Past, Present and Future: Creating and Sustaining High Performance Ambulatory Care’, ‘Pharmacy Programs’ and ‘Healthcare Quality: A Focus on Pharmacy and the Role of Accreditation’.

In addition, a special session by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists ‘ASHP’ was held during DUPHAT, and covered topics such as: ‘Leading Change to Advance Pharmacy Practice’, ‘Realizing the Full Impact of Medication-Use Technology and Automation’, ‘Present and Future: Creating and Sustaining High Performance Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Programs’, and ‘A Focus on Pharmacy and the Role of Accreditation’.

Furthermore, and in order to cater to registrants across the world who were not able to attend the conference and exhibition physically due to restrictions on travel in their countries, and to facilitate learning and networking with leading pharmaceuticals brands, all DUPHAT 2021 conference and exhibition were made accessible virtually. 

In addition, the DUPHAT exhibition features 869 participating brands from across the region and the world, and presents them with an exceptional opportunity to showcase their pharmaceutical products and technologies while also giving them a chance to interact with key industry professionals within the local pharmaceutical market. In addition, ‘DUPHAT OTC’ provides pharma companies that specialize in ‘Over-The-Counter’ products a platform to showcase ‘Over-The-Counter’ consumer health products, while providing them with the chance to explore new market opportunities as well. 

Considering the huge scope and demand for business expansion in the pharma industry, the DUPHAT Hosted Buyers Program ‘Pharma Business Hub’ allows key decision makers, potential buyers, suppliers and manufacturers in the pharma sector to arrange pre-arranged One-to-One B2B Meetings with top DUPHAT exhibitors and explore future business collaboration opportunities in the region.
In addition, DUPHAT’s ‘Hosted Buyers Program’ offered an exclusive networking opportunity, with the aim of facilitating business to business meetings as well as allowing experts and decision makers to meet the pioneers in pharmaceutical technology, get updates on the latest trends and technologies in drug manufacturing and explore the pharmaceutical market for new products. 
DUPHAT is organized annually by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions – a member of INDEX Holding and in strategic partnership with General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, and support of Dubai Health Authority, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology, European Society of Oncology Pharmacy, European Federation for Pharmaceutical science, and European society of Clinical pharmacy.