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LIFEPharma announces Dh700 million Kezad manufacturing platform
UAE’s only USFDA-approved pharmaceutical manufacturer signed a strategic agreement with AD Ports and unveiled plans to expand into vaccines, oncology, and advanced injectables
- PUBLISHED: Tue 5 May 2026, 9:24 PM
LIFEPharma, the UAE’s only USFDA-approved pharmaceutical manufacturer and part of VPS Health, today unveiled a proposed Dh700 million advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing platform at Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (Kezad), following the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AD Ports, the parent company of Kezad.
The signing took place on Day one of Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) 2026 in the presence of Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group, and Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Founder and Chairman of VPS Health. The agreement was signed by Mr. Omran Al Khoori, Director of VPS Health, and Mr. Abdullah Al Hameli, CEO of the Economic Cities and Free Zones Cluster at AD Ports Group.
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The MoU marks a significant step toward establishing the proposed Kezad manufacturing platform, with LIFEPharma leading the project’s technical, regulatory, and commercial development, and AD Ports serving as the preferred industrial platform partnehr in Abu Dhabi by facilitating access to land, infrastructure, utilities, and relevant government coordination. The partnership supports the UAE’s industrial diversification agenda, healthcare resilience, and “Make in the Emirates” vision, while advancing globally competitive pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities in line with Operation 300bn.
LIFEPharma already supplies regulated markets including the United States,Canada and Australia. The new Kezad platform will significantly expand UAE based production capacity across three complementary streams:
• Vaccines: An Dh300 million fill and finish facility for pediatric and adult vaccines, in collaboration with leading global pharmaceutical companies.
• Oncology: An Dh200 million dedicated manufacturing segment for cancer treatments.
• Advanced injectables: A further Dh200 million for peptides, biologics, and critical injectables experiencing strong and sustained global demand.
Collectively, the platform is projected to generate an estimated Dh2 billion impact on GDP over its lifecycle, create more than 1,000 skilled jobs, including for Emirati talent, and materially reduce the UAE’s dependence on imported medicines.
“LIFEPharma started with a simple question: why should medicines that UAE families rely on, whether a child’s vaccine or a cancer therapy, be made thousands of miles away and shipped here?” said Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil. “For families living with conditions like thalassemia or sickle cell disease, which touch so many lives in our region, this platform is about bringing the most advanced treatments closer to home and building industrial strength at the same time.”
