The hub aims to drive healthcare breakthroughs and make medicines more affordable.
The details:
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Aug. 19 by PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga and AstraZeneca Philippines country president Lotis Ramin, in the presence of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque, who also chairs the PEZA Board.
The hub will serve as a regional center for digital health technology, research collaboration, and patient-focused solutions.
Its first project: an Oncology Innovation Center, modeled after AstraZeneca’s UK hub, leveraging AI for early cancer detection, expanding patient-support systems, and building healthcare workforce capacity.
Why it matters:
The partnership addresses two critical gaps in the Philippine healthcare system: affordability of medicines and limited investment in medical research.
By anchoring global pharma expertise within ecozones, the initiative seeks to create a long-term ecosystem that could lower costs for patients while attracting healthcare-related investments.
What they’re saying:
“The Pharma Innovation Hub shows what we can achieve when global expertise meets local commitment,” said Roque. “It supports the President’s goal of making medicines more affordable and accessible, while laying the foundation for the Philippines as a hub for research and digital health.”
Panga said: “We want to attract more companies in medical development, manufacturing, and research to create a value chain that lowers medicine costs for Filipinos. This AstraZeneca partnership is a major step in that direction.”
The big picture:
The MOU also commits AstraZeneca to support the Philippines’ investment promotion drive through business forums, B2B matchmaking, and international delegations.
PEZA will facilitate regulatory processes, identify ecozone sites, and connect AstraZeneca with support industries and partners.
The pharmaceutical sector is among the Philippines’ fastest-growing industries, hosting more than 14 multinational companies. Over 50 manufacturers and medical device firms, including Terumo Philippines, Merck Business Solutions, JMS Healthcare, and Royale Life Pharma, are already operating within PEZA zones.
The bottom line:
The AstraZeneca-PEZA collaboration positions the Philippines as an emerging hub for pharma innovation, potentially transforming patient care while fueling economic growth through new investments in healthcare technologies. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
