Introduction: The Promise & Challenge of Biosimilars in MENA
Biosimilars represent one of the most transformative trends in the global pharmaceutical market today. These lower-cost, clinically equivalent alternatives to originator biologics are driving substantial healthcare savings and expanding access to critical therapies across multiple therapy areas.
While Europe and North America have seen widespread biosimilar adoption, the Middle East region is now emerging as the next frontier. Governments, insurers, and healthcare providers in countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Algeria increasingly view biosimilars as a lever to reduce treatment costs and broaden access — especially in high-cost categories such as:
- Dermatology (psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis)
- Gastroenterology (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis)
- Rheumatology
- Oncology
- Diabetes
However, successful biosimilar rollout in MENA markets is not automatic. It requires overcoming several key barriers:
- Gaining favorable insurance coverage across both public and private payers
- Building physician confidence in biosimilar prescribing
- Ensuring distributor readiness to promote and support biosimilars effectively
- Navigating a complex and fragmented market access landscape that varies widely by country
LakeB2B, through its deep expertise in healthcare market access, targeted outreach, and demand generation, is uniquely positioned to support biosimilar manufacturers (such as Accord Healthcare) in driving successful launches across MENA.
This document lays out a comprehensive framework for LakeB2B’s Middle East Biosimilar Launch Support Solution — a scalable, country-adaptable model designed to address the core drivers of biosimilar uptake across the region.
Market Dynamics: Understanding Middle East Healthcare Ecosystem
Before defining the launch framework, it is important to contextualize the key dynamics shaping biosimilar adoption in the Middle East.
Diverse Market Structures
The Middle East is not a monolithic market. Each country has its own mix of:
- Public sector healthcare driven by national ministries and regulators
- Private insurance-driven segments, with highly consolidated payer bases
- Distributor-driven supply chains, with both global and regional players involved
- Physician prescribing dynamics, which are influenced by local medical communities, regulatory bodies, and KOLs
Key Regional Trends Driving Biosimilar Adoption
Several factors are accelerating biosimilar uptake in the region:
- Government cost containment mandates: Ministries of Health and national payers are increasingly incentivizing or mandating biosimilar use where available.
- Private insurer interest: Key private payers see biosimilars as a mechanism to control claim costs and are willing to adopt supportive policies.
- Physician openness: Informed specialists, when provided with clear equivalence data and patient support programs (PSPs), are showing growing willingness to prescribe biosimilars.
- Distributor engagement: Distributors are highly motivated to capture new revenue streams from biosimilars but need enablement and intelligence to drive adoption.
Market Complexity Challenges
Despite these trends, the market also presents challenges:
- Fragmented payer landscape with different approval processes in each emirate/country.
- Physician inertia around switching from originator brands.
- Limited awareness of PSP models that can support patient adoption.
- Varied biosimilar competition across markets, with some local manufacturers gaining an early foothold.
This is where a structured, proactive launch model becomes critical.
The LakeB2B Biosimilar Launch Framework
LakeB2B proposes a four-pillar framework to enable successful biosimilar launches across MENA:
Insurance Coverage Strategy
Objective:
Achieve broad inclusion of the biosimilar in private and public insurance formularies to unlock reimbursement and drive initial uptake.
Key Activities
- Map current coverage of the originator biologic (e.g., Stelara) and any approved biosimilars.
- Focus on major public schemes:
- UAE: DHA, DoH Abu Dhabi, MOHAP
- Saudi Arabia: National insurance schemes under CCHI
- Egypt: HIO, MOH public sector schemes
- Algeria, Iraq, Qatar: Relevant national programs
- Profile the top 20 private insurers in each country:
- Example UAE payers: Daman, AXA, Oman, Cigna, MetLife, Allianz, Orient, etc.
- Profile and build contact lists of:
- Content Strategy:
- Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) committee members
- Medical directors at private insurers
- Pharmacy heads at payers and hospitals
Develop compelling value proposition materials that address:
- Clinical equivalence to originator
- Cost-effectiveness benefits for payers
- Proposed Patient Support Program (PSP) features (which are often key enablers of acceptance)
LakeB2B will execute multi-channel outreach to payer decision-makers:
- Email campaigns highlighting biosimilar benefits and requesting meetings
- LinkedIn campaigns targeting payer leaders
- Direct approach support for Accord/Distributor Market Access teams
Provide monthly dashboards on:
- Coverage progress across payers
- Meetings scheduled and outcomes
- Remaining coverage gaps and next steps
Physician Education & Demand Generation
Objective
Build strong prescriber confidence and preference for the biosimilar in target therapy areas.
Key Activities
Mapping & Profiling Target HCPs
Create detailed segmentations of key prescribing specialists by therapy area
- Dermatologists (psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis)
- Gastroenterologists (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis)
- Rheumatologists
- Oncology specialists, where relevant
For each target group, LakeB2B will
- Build databases of HCPs by country and city
- Profile key prescribers’ backgrounds, affiliations, and openness to biosimilars
- Identify HCPs engaged in biosimilar trials or early adopters
Developing & Running HCP Education Campaigns
Execute content-driven education campaigns targeting HCPs via
- Email sequences introducing PSP, equivalence data, and benefits
- LinkedIn outreach to top KOLs and prescribers
- Webinars & virtual events featuring supportive KOLs and case studies
- Support materials for distributor field teams
Supporting KOL Engagement
Identify and map 10–15 supportive specialists per market who can
- Act as early prescribers and reference customers
- Speak at educational webinars or conferences
- Provide testimonials and quotes for use in campaigns
Distributor Enablement Support
Objective
Equip distributors with intelligence and tools to drive effective biosimilar promotion.
Key Activities
Providing Market Intelligence Reports
Develop and distribute reports to distributors covering
- Competitive landscape (originator and biosimilar activity, share trends)
- Pricing benchmarks across key markets
- PSP benchmarking insights from leading biosimilar brands
Developing Distributor Toolkits
Create comprehensive distributor enablement toolkits, including:
- Market access talking points for discussions with payers and hospitals
- PSP promotional materials for use with prescribers and patients
- Target lists of high-priority prescribers and hospital buyers
Conducting Virtual Distributor Training
Host virtual training sessions timed to coincide with launch windows (e.g., early September for UAE)
- Equip distributor reps with messaging and objection handling
- Share latest payer wins and prescriber insights
- Provide practical PSP implementation guidelines
Ongoing Distributor Support
Offer quarterly distributor intelligence updates and best practice sharing to sustain momentum.
Market Mapping & Regional Playbook
Objective
Prepare a scalable model for biosimilar launch across MENA based on learnings from UAE and Saudi phases.
Key Activities
Market Mapping Reports
Produce country-specific reports on:
- Originator brand penetration per therapy area
- Competitive biosimilar activity (launches, partnerships)
- Estimated market size per therapy area
- Key payer dynamics per country
Regional Launch Playbook
Synthesize UAE & Saudi learnings into a playbook to guide
- Distributor enablement in new markets
- Payer engagement sequencing
- HCP education approaches
- PSP design best practices
Cross-Country Scalability Model
LakeB2B’s framework is intentionally designed for scalable application across MENA.
After UAE and Saudi Arabia (which serve as pilot and flagship markets), the model can be adapted for
- Egypt: Large public sector opportunity, highly cost-sensitive market
- Algeria: Strong national programs but fragmented private sector
- Iraq: Growth market, PSP will be a key differentiator
- Qatar, Oman, Kuwait: Smaller markets with high private insurance penetration
- Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco: Targetable via regional distributors
Execution Roadmap & Timeline
A phased approach ensures both rigor and flexibility:
| Phase | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Payer mapping, originator coverage analysis, PSP benchmarking |
| 2 | Value proposition deck development, initial payer outreach |
| 3 | Private payer engagement drive, aiming for broad coverage pre-launch |
| 4 | KOL mapping & initial engagement |
| 5 | Distributor enablement toolkit development |
| 6 | Final public sector engagement push |
| 7 | Distributor training workshops |
| 8 | Regional playbook synthesis & cross-market scaling |
Key LakeB2B Strengths in Middle East Biosimilar Enablement
LakeB2B brings a unique combination of capabilities to biosimilar launch support:
- Deep B2B targeting expertise → ability to run precision outreach to payers, HCPs, and distributors
- Proprietary healthcare data → extensive database of Middle East payers, providers, and specialists
- Experience in running PSP-driven education programs
- Scalable execution capacity → ability to support multi-country programs
- Content development strength → creation of localized, engaging materials for diverse market audiences
- Distributor network familiarity → deep understanding of the regional distribution landscape and its nuances
Anticipated Outcomes & KPIs
By implementing this framework, LakeB2B expects to drive tangible outcomes for biosimilar manufacturers:
Insurance Coverage:
- 60–80% private payer coverage within 3–6 months of launch
- Initiation of public sector submission processes where feasible
HCP Engagement:
- 50% awareness among targeted prescribers within priority TAs
- Conversion of key KOLs to active advocates
Distributor Readiness:
- 100% of distributor sales teams trained pre-launch
- Availability of PSP materials and targeting lists in all field markets
Market Insights:
- Comprehensive playbook ready for next wave markets within 6 months of initial launch
The Middle East is a critical growth region for biosimilars — but its market access complexity and prescriber dynamics require a proactive, structured launch approach.
LakeB2B’s Middle East Biosimilar Launch Solution offers manufacturers a proven model to:
- Accelerate payer inclusion
- Build physician trust and preference
- Enable distributors to drive uptake effectively
- Scale launches across MENA with confidence
By partnering with LakeB2B, biosimilar companies can maximize market potential while ensuring patient access to high-quality, affordable therapies across the region.