The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), has teamed up with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals (Phils.) to launch the country’s first Pharma Innovation Hub, forming part of the company’s expected P7-billion investment in the Philippines to advance healthcare innovation and expand access to affordable medicines.
DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque, who also chairs the PEZA board, witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between PEZA director-general Tereso Panga and AstraZeneca Philippines country president Lotis Ramin on Aug. 19, 2025.
Under the agreement, AstraZeneca’s Innovation Hub will serve as a regional platform for digital health technology, research and development collaboration and patient-centered healthcare solutions.
Its first project will be the creation of an Oncology Innovation Center, modeled after AstraZeneca’s global hub in the United Kingdom.
The center will leverage artificial intelligence for early cancer detection, enhance patient-support programs, build healthcare workforce capacity and promote evidence-based policymaking.
The partnership also covers AstraZeneca’s support for the Philippines’ investment promotion efforts through business forums, investment briefings, B2B sessions and international delegations to attract healthcare-related investments.
PEZA will help identify strategic ecozone locations, streamline regulatory processes, and link the company with support industries and potential joint venture partners.
“The Pharma Innovation Hub shows what we can achieve when global expertise meets local commitment. This partnership with AstraZeneca and PEZA is a big step toward President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s goal of making medicines more affordable and accessible, while also laying the foundation for the Philippines to become a hub for research, digital health, and new medical investments,” Roque said.
Panga said the initiative aligns with PEZA’s strategy to establish more medical-centered ecozones or “Pharma Zones.”
“We want to attract more companies engaged in development, manufacturing, and research in the medical field to create a value chain that will lead to lower medicine costs for Filipinos. This is a call of the President that we have embraced to fruition. We have already established the first Pharma Ecozone, and this partnership with AstraZeneca is another milestone toward that vision,” he said.
The Philippines’ pharmaceutical sector is among its fastest-growing industries, with more than 14 multinational companies.
Under PEZA, over 50 manufacturers and medical device firms, including Terumo Philippines, Merck Business Solutions, JMS Healthcare and Royale Life Pharma are operating across economic zones nationwide.
