September 17, 2024, marked another milestone for LAU with the groundbreaking ceremony of its Pharmaceutical and Medical Research Center (PMRC), the first bioequivalence center in the country.

Located on the Byblos campus, the center will serve to test and develop generic medication composed of the same active ingredients and with the same efficacy as their brand-name versions.

This ambitious undertaking by the university was born out of its drive for sustainability in partnership with the pharmaceutical and medical industries to provide Lebanon with much-needed, affordable, and safe medications.

This first step in realizing the project after a long gestation period, stated LAU President Michel E. Mawad at the event, is one of many in LAU’s transition “from what was primarily a teaching institution into a major comprehensive university with a rapidly expanding research footprint covering the entire spectrum of research from what is basic and discovery-oriented to the translational and applied.”

This transition, he added, “is critical to sustainable economic recovery in Lebanon because it is a solution based on leveraging Lebanon’s most abundant resource: brainpower and trained human capital.”

As a collaboration between LAU’s three health schools and industry, the PMRC will offer invaluable experiential education for faculty and students and nurture generations of skilled leaders in the health disciplines.

The ceremony was attended by the Head of the Pharmacy Department at the Ministry of Public Health Colette Raidy representing Dr. Firass Abiad, caretaker minister of Public Health.

Also present were MP Ziad Hawat, President of the Blat Municipality Abdo Outayek, President of the Byblos Municipality Wissam Zaarour (BS ’96), Head of the Urban Planning Bureau in Byblos Fadi Saliba, Member of the LAU Board of Trustees and entrepreneur Moise A. Khayrallah, Provost George E. Nasr, university vice presidents, deans and faculty of LAU’s three health schools, as well as representatives from Lebanese pharmaceutical companies.

Speaking on behalf of Minister Abiad, Dr. Raidy said that the establishment of the PMRC is one of the landmarks in the healthcare sector’s phase of revival and recovery that brings renewed hope for the Lebanese people.

“The decision to move forward with a significant investment like the PMRC, the first of its kind in Lebanon, was not made under easy circumstances,” she added. “It was made during one of the most difficult and dark periods of our nation’s history, a time of profound crisis, uncertainty and hardship. Despite these challenges, LAU leadership not only chose to press on but also took the bold step of recruiting some of the top professionals from the US and the region to be part of this pioneering initiative.”

Among these experts is former Senior Science Adviser, Office of Study Integrity and Surveillance of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Sam Haidar, who relocated to Lebanon to help run the PMRC.

Breaking new ground is a reminder that LAU will continue to be, “in this part of the world, a leader in education, a catalyst for change and a beacon of hope in times of uncertainty,” said Lead Assistant to the Provost and master of ceremonies Maya Choueiri.