Pharmacy or pharma is the knowledge and procedure of manufacturing and administering drugs. It is a health profession where health sciences meet chemical sciences to provide valuable usage of the drugs prescribed. Pharmacy includes services like combining and dispensing medications, clinical services, reviewing the safety and efficiency of the medicines, and providing vital information regarding the same. Setting up a pharmaceutical company in Dubai involves navigating a complex regulatory landscape and meeting stringent requirements to ensure compliance with local laws and international standards. The pharmaceutical sector is rapidly increasing in the UAE. Seeking professional guidance and local expertise can greatly ease the process of pharmaceutical company setup in Dubai and ensure adherence to all necessary regulations, allowing companies to focus on growth and expansion in the flourishing regional market.

How To Setup A Pharmaceutical Company in Dubai / UAE

Dubai Mainland is the preferable location to setup a pharmacy since it provides better opportunities as compared to a Free Zone setup. The Department of Economic Development (DED) is the regulatory body responsible for all kinds of businesses in mainland Dubai.

The Steps Included In Pharmaceutical Company Setup:-

 To identify a local sponsor with a good profile
 Collect the passport copies of your partners and the sponsors
 Decide on a suitable name for your company/store
 Submit an application for the enterprise’s name approval and for initial approval from the DED
 After the approval is received, submit the application to Dubai Health Authority (DHA)

Initial approval from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA)

•  Create an account on their portal to start the initial process of approval
• Upload the proposal letter
• Appoint the medical director and pharmacist
•  Identify the premises for the pharmacy
•  Upload the engineering layout as per the DHA guidelines
•  After obtaining the approval from DHA, get the tenancy contract along with Ejari for the premises
•  With the initial approval from DED and DHA, draft the Memorandum of Association and side agreement with the local sponsor
• Notarize the Memorandum of Association from the court
• Submit all the documents to DED and obtain a pharmacy license
• After issuing the license from the DED, submit the documents for final approval from the DHA

Final approval from Dubai Health Authority (DHA)

• Interior fit-out construction as per the layout approved by DHA in the initial approval
•  Professional approval for the medical director
• Final fit-out inspection report and inspection from DHA

After the completion of the above steps, DHA will issue a license for the business. The expected time frame for the project would be 5-6 weeks.

Documents required: For the Department of Economic Development (DED):

• Passport copies of the owners, manager, pharmacist, and medical director
• Unique Identification Number (UID) of the owners and manager
• Attested qualification and experience certificate of the Manager, pharmacist, and medical director
• Application form for the name and initial trade approval
• Initial approval from DHA
• NOC from the sponsor to verify whether the manager is holding a valid visa or not
• Tenancy contract (for final submission to the DED)
•  Passport copy, Emirates ID, and Gincia of Local sponsor (UAE National)

For Dubai Health Authority

Initial approval

•  DED trade name reservation
•  Dubai Municipality affection plan of the plot/building
• Passport copies and UID numbers of partners
• Engineering layout as per DHA guidelines
• Proposal and Undertaking letter
• Passport copies and attested qualification certificates of the medical director and pharmacist (Two pharmacists are mandatory and one among them can be the medical director of the company)
•  Offer letters of the medical director and pharmacist

Final approval

The documents are the same as mentioned above in the clause for Final Approval from DHA Note: Document lists provided here are not final/complete, any additional document/information required further by the Govt. Authorities need to be provided. The medical director’s name will appear on the DHA license.

Written By Ebi Kadavan