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ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (APP):Pakistan and the Philippines have the potential to expand bilateral trade in the pharmaceutical and biological sector to $1 billion, with both countries needing to diversify trade by focusing on modern medicines, vaccines and medical tools, said Pakistani business tycoon in the Philippines Abdul Razzaq Siddiq.
Talking to the media, Siddiq, who is President of Second World Traders, Inc., said pharmaceuticals and biological products are among the most promising sectors for trade diversification, adding that cooperation in these areas would significantly strengthen economic and healthcare ties between the two countries.
He said a Philippines-based pharmaceutical firm has opened a subsidiary office in Islamabad to boost bilateral trade and healthcare collaboration. In this regard, Second World Traders Pakistan, a subsidiary of 2World Traders Inc., inaugurated its Islamabad office on January 5, 2026, marking a key step toward enhancing cooperation in vaccines and biological products.
Siddiq termed the move a sign of growing investor confidence and highlighted opportunities for supply-chain collaboration, technology transfer and local manufacturing. He said the company plans to initially import 10 million doses of Tetanus Toxoid vaccine to address shortages in Pakistan, followed by gradual localization of production.
He added that future projects include the production of anti-rabies serum in collaboration with Dow Institute of Life Sciences, as well as anti-cancer medicines and anti-snake venom serums aimed at underserved regions, particularly Sindh and Balochistan.
“These initiatives are designed to strengthen Pakistan’s healthcare system while deepening economic links with the Philippines,” he said.
Sharing trade figures, Siddiq said Pakistan exported around $30 million worth of pharmaceutical products to the Philippines in 2025, mainly medicaments, while overall bilateral trade stood at $160 million in 2020. He added that Pakistan’s exports to the Philippines reached $8.79 million from August 2025 onward.
With over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biological sector, Siddiq said his group is among the largest biological companies in the Philippines, supplying life-saving vaccines globally. He revealed that his company’s vaccines have already generated Rs10 billion in sales in Pakistan, with notable success in pneumonia vaccination programmes in the Philippines.
He announced plans to launch tetanus vaccines in Pakistan, provide life-saving vaccines for children, offer cancer medicines at significantly reduced prices and promote affordable, high-quality drugs compared to global competitors.
“There should be no greed when it comes to life-saving medicines. Our priority is humanity, not profit,” he emphasized.
Siddiq further said manufacturing units would be established in Pakistan, with some products imported initially while local production capacity is developed, stressing the need to maintain international quality standards for vaccines and biological products.
He noted that Pakistan’s pharmaceutical and biological export potential is far higher than current levels. “Pakistan should achieve at least $1 billion in pharmaceutical and biological exports, and we are ready to play our role in making this possible,” he said.
Highlighting the humanitarian aspect of his initiatives, Siddiq announced a landmark plan to provide free anti-venom serum to every citizen of Pakistan, including those living in remote and rural areas. He said thousands of people die each year in Pakistan due to snake bites, while globally nearly 138,000 deaths occur annually because of the lack of timely access to anti-venom.
“Our company is committed to eliminating these preventable deaths by ensuring free availability of snake venom serum across the country,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, Siddiq said saving human lives is a divine responsibility. “This is Allah’s message to humanity. We are all human beings and must cooperate to save lives. I, along with my children, will continue this mission in the future,” he added.
The initiative has been widely welcomed by health experts and social circles as a major step toward improving public health and reducing preventable deaths in Pakistan.