Lebanese drug manufacturers are demanding tax incentives and export support. A delegation led by Carole Abi Karam presented these requests to the Chairman of the IDAL, Majed Mneimneh. The report released on November 2, 2026 includes an office dedicated to pharmaceutical exports. No new arrangements or costed funding were announced.
Trade focuses on two needs expressed by industrialists: maintaining the competitiveness of plants and gaining access to more foreign markets. The president of the manufacturers’ union highlights the continuity of the supply of medicines and employment. It requires support from companies, but also work on the texts that frame their activities.
Majed Mneimneh retained these two lines in his answer. The President of the Investment Development Authority in Lebanon distinguishes legislative and regulatory action from market search. He said he wanted to support the sector and attract new investments.
Lebanese medicines seek targeted support
Carole Abi Karam calls for tax incentives and exemptions. She also requested assistance in the preparation of bills. The union presents these measures as a means of reducing the burdens that weaken manufacturers.
The record does not show these charges. It does not identify any taxes to change, budget costs or parliamentary calendar. The applications therefore constitute a programme of discussion with the public authority, without a tax decision already applicable.
For Majed Mneimneh, legislative and regulatory changes should support the continuity of plants and their ability to invest. He stressed the stability of the framework in which they worked. This response remains a guideline: no specific text or formal working group is presented in the announcement.
The meeting also brings together members of the IDAL Board of Directors. It places industrial demands in the field of investment support. However, it does not provide a list of factory extensions or new production lines pending agreement.
A requested export office, markets to be identified
The most concrete proposal concerns the creation of an office for the export of medicines. The union also wants help in obtaining the necessary international certifications and approvals. Its objective is to facilitate access of products to regional and global markets.
The announcement does not specify where this office would be installed, who would fund it or how manufacturers could solicit it. Nor does it set its creation date. The trade union asks for its establishment; IDAL does not announce the opening of an operational service.
Majed Mneimneh proposes to identify foreign markets accessible to Lebanese products. It links this selection to the quality requirements and the approvals requested in each destination. No priority country or sales objective accompanies this proposal.
This approach leads to a review of products and their records, beyond just commercial promotion. In the pharmaceutical trade, a product certificate documents its status in the exporting country. The World Health Organization model covers a specific product, as formulations and dosages may differ.
Good manufacturing practices concern the regular production of medicines that meet quality requirements. The marketing authorisation shall be the responsibility of the competent authority of the relevant market. Therefore, obtaining a certificate should not be presented as automatic access to all countries.
IDAL supports projects, without being their lender
The role of the organization informs the scope of the discussions. IDAL offers investor services, sector-specific information and support in the process. Its policy framework is based in particular on Investment Act No. 360.
In the public presentation of its missions, the authority states that it does not finance projects directly. It may provide incentives when they qualify. It thus distinguishes accompaniment and eligible benefits from the capital required by an undertaking.
The services described by IDAL also include legal and tax advice and partnering. These tools can meet some of the manufacturers’ demands. They do not make it possible to deduct that a plant will receive a loan, grant or exemption as a result of this meeting alone.
Quality remains a prerequisite for access to markets
In Lebanon, the Ministry of Health publishes a directory of local manufacturers and their products. It presents various activities, including tablets, injectables and hospital solutions. This diversity requires specifying the products concerned when an export project takes shape.
The debate on pharmaceutical rules is also ongoing. On 29 October, Minister of Health Rakan Nassereddine presented to President Joseph Aoun the reforms in the registration of medicines. He referred to measures taken with WHO to strengthen monitoring and compliance.
Requests to IDAL relate to investment and export, while health assessment is the responsibility of the competent authorities. The concrete follow-up of the meeting will now depend on identified proposals: which texts to amend, which certifications to accompany and which markets to target.
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