UCB and NewBridge Pharmaceuticals Partner for Middle East and African markets

Brussels, Belgium and Dubai, November 21, 2012 - UCB (Euronext Brussels: UCB) and NewBridge Pharmaceuticals,  today announced an exclusive partnership agreement to make UCB's core products Cimzia®, Vimpat® and Neupro® available in several Middle East and African countries. Under the agreement, NewBridge acquires the rights to Cimzia®, Vimpat® and Neupro® from the RX Group, UCB's previous partner in the region. UCB will now operate with its new partner for the region and will supply NewBridge with the three products on exclusive basis. NewBridge will also be responsible for managing the local regulatory approval process, future commercialization, and pharmacovigilance in each of the relevant countries.


 NewBridge Pharmaceuticals (NBP) is a first-in-class, venture-backed specialty therapeutics company focused on pharmaceuticals, biologics. NBP specializes in in-licensing, acquiring, registering and commercializing FDA, EMA/European and Japanese PMDA approved therapeutics to address the unmet medical needs of diseases with high regional prevalence in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey regions.
Headquartered in Dubai, NBP has investment support from Burrill & Company (Burrill), a San Francisco-based global leader in life sciences with activities in venture capital, private equity, merchant banking and media, and the life science arm of National Technology Enterprises Company (NTEC), a Kuwait investment authority mandated fund operating out of Kuwait City. The Burrill/NTEC expansive life sciences network and partnership support provides NBP unprecedented access to U.S., European and Japanese biotechnology companies, products and investment expertise.

Kuwait Life Sciences Company (KLSC) is a wholly owned company of National Technology Enterprises Company (NTEC), capitalized at USD 16.5 million, to act as its regional investment arm in healthcare and life sciences space. In turn, NTEC is fully owned by Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) and was established in 2004 to act as a 'corporate venture capitalist' focused on international technology investments and be the gateway for sustainable transfer of emerging technologies to Kuwait and the Middle East region. NETC is uniquely positioned as a technology investor in the region and enjoys a broad network with venture capital funds, investment companies, industry leaders, research centers and governmental bodies. KLSC aims to create start up projects, invest in growing companies which exhibit novelty, possess a technological edge, have a sustainable business model, fulfill a compelling need or offer significant value to healthcare sector in Kuwait and Middle East.