Dubai expects to attract USD2.5bn in investments to the pharmaceutical industry over the next five year as it ramps up efforts to court international players to open up factories in the emirate, which is pursuing a new 2030 industrial strategy, a senior official has said. The emirate unveiled the strategy last year that will target adding AED160bn to its GDP and creating 27,000 specialised jobs by developing six industrial sectors: aerospace; maritime; pharmaceuticals; medical equipment; aluminium and fabricated metals; food and beverages; and machinery and equipment. There are two pharmaceutical companies constructing facilities in Dubai and there are several more expected to set up shop in the emirate, he added. The UAE’s pharmaceutical sales are forecast to grow to USD3.84bn by 2021 from USD2.62bn in 2016, according to BMI research, a unit of the Fitch group. Pharmaceuticals represented 16.2% of total healthcare spending last year and are projected to represent 18% of healthcare expenditure by 2021.