Entering Saudi Arabia

• Whether you need a local partner to operate in Saudi Arabia — or if 100% foreign ownership is on the table, and how MISA incentivizes each path
• What corporate tax founders should actually plan for in Saudi Arabia — and when R&D or unmet-need therapeutics can qualify for a waiver
• What corporate tax founders should actually plan for in Saudi Arabia — and when R&D or unmet-need therapeutics can qualify for a waiver
• How Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health and its CDC-equivalent can help site clinical trials for rare-disease and antiviral therapies — even when patient populations are hard to find locally

Ernesto Chanona, CEO of American Business Development, opened this session by noting that every company arrives at a different stage of Saudi market readiness — some are just beginning to explore the Kingdom, others are already evaluating partnerships, localization strategy, and operational expansion. This session, presented with ABD’s in-market execution partner BiSynergic, was built to meet founders wherever they are in that process.

Much of the real substance came out in audience Q&A — from the tax treatment and incentive waivers available to R&D-focused companies, to how the Ministry of Health and Saudi’s CDC-equivalent can help place clinical trials for rare-disease therapies, to the mechanics of setting up a wholly foreign-owned entity through MISA.