The 7th international biopharmaceutical symposium, held in the city of Beijing in the Republic of China during the 7th-11th of December 2006, concluded its seventh session. Participating in the symposium were 27 Asian and European countries, in addition to representatives from biological products manufacturers and vaccine producers from most countries around the world.

A delegation from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority participated in the symposium. The delegation included SFDA consultant and board of directors’ member Dr. Mohammed Al-Haidary, consultant Dr. Mohammed Al-Ahdal and Dr. Abdulmehsen Al-Rahimi manager of the research and publishing department. Dr. Mohammed Al-Ahdal also participated with a lecture entitled” An Overview Of The Drug Sector Within The Saudi Food And Drug Authority, With Emphasis On Biologicals”, where he elaborated on the drug sector’s strategy towards biological products for the next stage. He also shed light on participants to know how changes are taking effect in different biological regulating organizations around the world, especially in Saudi Arabia which is considered to be the most important market for medicine in the region. The lecture received significant attention from all participants.

Dr. Abdulmehsen Al-Rahimi also gave a lecture on the impact of genetic differences between individuals and environmental factors in response to medicine and its impact on manufacturing drugs. The lecture was entitled” Genetic Factors and Environmental Impact as a Determinant of Interindivdual Variability in CYP2B6.”

The participation of the SFDA had a good impact on participants. Members of the delegation held many meetings during the conference concerning the drug sector’s field.