Dr. Majid Alfayyadh at FII: Saudi Arabia’s in-House CAR-T Manufacturing Signals Readiness to Lead Biotech’s Next Era
nabd-alhadath ـ Ahmad Bin AbdulQader
Dr. Majid Alfayyadh, CEO of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC), said, at the Future Investment Initiative, the hospital’s in-house manufacturing and clinical use of CAR-T cell therapy marks a major shift in localizing advanced treatments and shows the Kingdom is ready to adopt world-class therapeutic technologies.
Speaking on the panel “Which Markets Will Build the Next Biotech Megaclusters?”, he noted that this milestone reflects the rapid growth of Saudi research and clinical capability and KFSHRC’s role as a catalyst for innovation and a regional hub for biotechnology. He added that the hospital is strengthening its research and biomanufacturing ecosystem in line with national priorities in precision medicine and gene therapy.
Dr. Alfayyadh emphasized that Saudi Arabia’s biotech transformation is driven by an ambitious national vision to become a global medical-innovation hub by 2040, supported by integrated research, regulatory, and investment environment that attracts leading global partners.
The CEO highlighted accelerated regulatory progress, including the Saudi Food and Drug Authority’s clinical-trial approvals in as little as 60 days, as evidence of effective governance and a strong climate for research and innovation.
He added that building an advanced biotech sector relies on modern infrastructure, sustained investment, and flexible regulation that speeds up innovation and turns research into medical and commercial applications, noting that integration across research, development, clinical trials, and commercialization is the foundation for growing the Kingdom’s biotechnology sector.
According to Dr. Alfayyadh, international collaboration is a central pillar of this sector’s development, with the Kingdom forging strategic partnerships with leading research centers and global companies to exchange knowledge and transfer technology, strengthening its presence in the global bio-innovation and biomanufacturing ecosystem and advancing Vision 2030 goals to localize biopharma and grow the knowledge economy.
National talent, he concluded, is the cornerstone of a sustainable biotech sector, noting that the Kingdom continues to invest in a new generation of scientists and researchers through scholarships and specialized training, alongside the imminent launch of a national GMP-compliant facility within the next two years, strengthening Saudi Arabia’s bio-self-sufficiency and enabling an innovation-driven healthcare economy.
