After four highly successful editions across India and Dubai, Eminence Group proudly brings back its flagship event—the 5th Edition Drug Safety Symposium 2026 – Middle East Chapter. The symposium will take place on January 21st and 22nd, 2026, at the Grand Mercure Dubai Airport Hotel, Dubai.
Recognized as one of the most influential pharmacovigilance (PV) forums in the region, the symposium continues to strengthen patient safety and regulatory excellence across the Middle East. This year’s theme, “Pharmacovigilance 360°: Building Patient Safety from Clinical Trials to Post-Market,” reflects a comprehensive, lifecycle-based approach to drug safety—from early clinical development to real-world use.
Broadening the Focus: From Compliance to Safety Culture
This edition significantly expands its scope beyond traditional post-marketing surveillance. It addresses clinical trial safety, pre-approval submissions, lifecycle risk management, and digital transformation in pharmacovigilance. Moreover, the symposium emphasizes the shift from checklist-driven compliance to a proactive, patient-centric safety culture, enabling organizations to achieve continuous regulatory readiness.
Unlike conventional conferences, the Drug Safety Symposium prioritizes practical learning and real-world application. Consequently, participants will engage in live challenge sessions, mock inspections, hands-on workshops, and case-based discussions that translate regulatory expectations into actionable strategies.
Key Sessions and Program Highlights
Over two immersive days, the symposium will feature high-impact keynotes, expert panels, and interactive workshops, including:
• Inspection Readiness: Turning the audit room into your strongest compliance story, with practical strategies to embed continuous inspection readiness across organizations.
• Regulators’ Viewpoint – Policies, Practice & Expectations: A multi-country panel featuring representatives from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and other GCC nations, offering direct insights into regional harmonization and regulatory priorities.
• Academic Viewpoint – From Protocol to Patient: Exploring how academic institutions and clinical researchers integrate robust safety frameworks into regional trials.
• Hands-On Workshop: “Strengthening ADR Reporting Systems in the Middle East: From Compliance to Culture”—a focused two-hour session addressing one of the region’s most pressing pharmacovigilance challenges.
• Rare Diseases and Orphan Drug Safety: Assessing regional preparedness for orphan drug safety, aligned with SFDA’s proactive orphan designation initiatives.
• Real-World Evidence: Turning data into decisions by leveraging real-world data to identify safety signals, support regulatory submissions, and enable informed decision-making across the product lifecycle.
Global Expertise with Regional Relevance
As per the press release, the symposium will host speakers and delegates from more than 10 countries, bringing together global and regional perspectives. Participants will include senior leaders from organizations such as Novartis, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Hikma, Julphar, and Tabuk, alongside high-ranking representatives from national regulatory authorities.
“Our goal is to make pharmacovigilance practical, proactive, and truly patient-focused,” said Ms. Guneet Hayer, Managing Director, Eminence Group. “The 5th Edition Drug Safety Symposium 2026 – Middle East Chapter is not just another conference. It is a collaborative working forum where regulators, industry, and academia come together to build stronger, smarter, and more resilient safety systems for the region.”
Driving Measurable Outcomes in Drug Safety
By fostering open dialogue among regulators, industry experts, and technology innovators, the symposium aims to deliver tangible, region-specific outcomes. These include improved ADR reporting frameworks, stronger industry–regulator collaboration, and practical models for risk mitigation and crisis management.