Mubadala, which invests on behalf of Abu Dhabi, has shifted focus on strategic investments in Asia in recent years. Pawan Singh/The National.
Mubadala, which invests on behalf of Abu Dhabi, has shifted focus on strategic investments in Asia in recent years. Pawan Singh/The National.
Mubadala, which invests on behalf of Abu Dhabi, has shifted focus on strategic investments in Asia in recent years. Pawan Singh/The National.
Mubadala, which invests on behalf of Abu Dhabi, has shifted focus on strategic investments in Asia in recent years. Pawan Singh/The National.

Mubadala boosts Asia assets with joint investment in UCB Pharma’s China unit


Sarmad Khan
  • English
  • Arabic

Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi’s strategic investment arm, and Asia's largest healthcare-focused manager CBC Group have jointly acquired UCB Pharma's unit in China.

The deal aimed at expanding Mubadala’s healthcare and life-sciences portfolio will give the partners control over “the carve-out of UCB Pharma’s mature business in China”, Mubadala said in a statement on Monday.

The Belgium-headquartered biopharmaceutical company UCB’s business in China is among market leaders in the country’s immunology, neurology and rare disease market, and is poised for significant growth.

The acquisition includes UCB’s neurology and allergy portfolios in Mainland China, as well as the company’s Zhuhai manufacturing site, Mubadala said.

The transaction remains subject to required antitrust clearance and other customary conditions, and is expected to be finalised in the fourth quarter of this year, the company said.

Mubadala will “support the next phase of UCB’s platform as it scales to a leading entity in China and delivers transformative medicines to the markets,” Mohamed Albadr, head of China at Mubadala, said.

“The company’s dedication to clinical excellence and innovation aligns with our commitment to enhancing access to care and growth in the healthcare system.”

Mubadala, which invests on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government, is at the heart of the emirate’s efforts to diversify its revenue base and generate income from sources other than oil. Its interests span six continents and includes the aerospace, semiconductors, metals and mining, renewable energy, oil and gas, and petrochemicals sectors.

In recent years, it has pivoted to life sciences and pharmaceutical investments and has also expanded its healthcare portfolio at a brisk pace.

The latest investment in UCB Pharma’s China business is also in line with Mubadala’s vision to expand its footprint across Asia through selective investment across sectors with strong growth potential.

“Healthcare, and specifically pharma carve-outs, are at the forefront of this investment strategy,” Mubadala said.

Additionally, the strategic collaboration with CBC Group, also reflects its commitment to establishing dedicated platforms to target and serve unmet needs in China and the broader Asia healthcare markets.

“CNS is a large and growing therapeutic area in China that has an urgent clinical need. We look forward to building out a broader CNS-focused platform to benefit the China market,” said Mina Hamoodi, head of healthcare at Mubadala.

With assets in excess of Dh1.11 trillion ($302.2 billion), Mubadala is also focusing on expanding its life sciences and healthcare portfolio at home.

In March, Mubadala said it is acquiring emerging markets-focused speciality pharmaceutical company Kelix bio in a push to further develop the UAE’s life sciences ecosystem.

Mubadala entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the company from a consortium of investors, including Development Partners International, British International Investment and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the company said at the time.

Last year, Mubadala and artificial intelligence company G42 launched M42, a “tech-enabled” healthcare company designed to advance medical research and capabilities in the UAE.

The company has a broad portfolio of assets including Amana Healthcare, Biogenix Labs, Danat Al Emarat, HealthPoint Hospital, the HealthPlus network of speciality centres, Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Insights Research Organisation & Solutions, the Omics Centre of Excellence and the National Reference Laboratory.

In January last year, Mubadala and technology-focused manufacturing company National Resilience signed a deal to establish a new biopharma manufacturing facility in the UAE.

Changing visa rules

For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.

Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.

It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.

The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.

The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
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Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
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Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
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Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
India squads

T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur

Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant

The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press

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BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 

Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
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UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)

Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)

Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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War and the virus

 


 

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Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm

Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm

Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm

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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

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MATCH INFO

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THE SPECS

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The Cairo Statement

 1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations

2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC  

4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

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Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai

Three stars

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Updated: August 26, 2024, 10:34 AM`