Market Analysis
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is federal-authority territory before it's an emirate cost question. MOHAP's Drug Control Department registers the facility (GMP inspection, product dossier per SKU) regardless of whether you set up in Dubai or Abu Dhabi — that registration process, often 6-12 months and running into six figures per product line, dwarfs the AED 15,000-25,000 range that general industrial licenses cost in either emirate.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates realistically viable for this activity: DuBiotech (Dubai Science Park) and Abu Dhabi's Kizad/Biotech cluster are where existing manufacturers concentrate, both offering purpose-built cleanroom-ready facilities rather than generic industrial sheds.
Market context: the UAE imports the large majority of its pharmaceuticals today, and federal policy (Operation 300bn, MOHAP local-manufacturing incentives) is explicitly trying to shift that ratio — a genuine tailwind for anyone manufacturing rather than distributing.
100% foreign ownership is permitted, but this is one of the activities where the DED license is the easy part. Budget for MOHAP registration timelines and GMP facility costs as the real gating factor, not the emirate fee comparison.