Introduction by Dr. Rasheed Al-Faysal
It’s almost incredible how an eternity passed in the blink of an eye. I often reminisce about the past, the golden days, recalling beginnings which date back to the fifties of the last century. When a number of young enthusiasts initiated the establishment of a small laboratory for manufacturing pharmaceuticals, which at the time, was no more than a modest workshop.
The idea of work and the will of the initiators started the implementation, thanks to my father Mohamed Zahir alFaisal, God have mercy on him, and with consultation of the pharmacist Ahmed Sharbak, standing God his age, decided on the idea and were joined by various partners to begin the journey, which we know as IbnHayyan Pharmaceutical
Years have passed, work developed, progressed, and flourished along with the facility and fresh faces, but the compass remained pointing north: the direction of development and constant improvement.
1991 was a special year in themarch of the pharmaceuticals industry, when it began to subject to strict controls and laws with supreme objective, namely the development of the core of a sophisticated pharmaceutical industry in Syria and new laws issued encouraging investment (Law No. 10).
I grabbed onto the idea of the state seeking the development of this industry and its important sector, and I obtained my license from the Ministry of Health to establish a pharmaceutical factory in Homs. Subsequently, contracts were signed binding partnerships with the Medico company’s unanimous board under the license (Rashid Al-Faisal and Co.) – Ibn Hayyan Pharmaceutical Industries.
I took a leap of faith, daring to close Esteqama Pharmacy, established in 1908 by my grandfather, the pharmacist Rashid al-Faisal. Closing Esteqama Pharmacy meant sacrificing the oldest pharmacy in the city of Homs in order to establish a promising and ambitious career.
This is our story. Ibn-Hayyan Pharmaceutical Industries was established, excelling the expectations of the pharmaceutical industry. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
