# Prestige Award Named After Nobel Laureate Aziz Sancar Granted to Abdi İbrahim

> Abdi İbrahim, the market leader of the Turkish pharmaceutical industry since 2002, has been awarded the "Health Technologies Prestige Award" at the Aziz Sancar Science, Service, and Incentive Awards organized by the Health Institutes of Turkey (TÜSEB). In collaboration with TÜSEB, Abdi İbrahim developed a biosimilar of the world's most widely utilized oncology medicine entirely in Turkey. Nezih Barut, Chairman of the Board of Abdi İbrahim, received the award directly from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Published: 2026-11-04T11:16:00+00:00
Language: en
Categories: [Sectors](https://chemexworld.com/en/categories/sectors.md), [Pharmaceutical Industry](https://chemexworld.com/en/categories/sectors/pharmaceutical-industry-1.md)

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## Content

Presented under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey at the 12th Turkish Medical World Congress in Istanbul, the award citation underscored Abdi İbrahim’s dedicated efforts in the fundamental fields of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) synthesis and finished drug manufacturing in Turkey. The awards program, administered by TÜSEB under the Ministry of Health, bears the name of Nobel laureate Aziz Sancar.

The reference biologic medicine targeted by Abdi İbrahim is deployed in targeted cancer therapies and led global pharmaceutical sales in 2025 with approximately $31.7 billion in revenue. Abdi İbrahim developed the biosimilar without utilizing overseas technology transfers, engineering the molecule from the primary host cell stage using its proprietary cell clones and domestic technical capabilities.

### 140,000-Liter Annual Bioreactor Capacity at AbdiBio and 2028 Launch Target

Operating with a 114-year corporate history, the wholly domestic manufacturer established AbdiBio through a $150 million capital investment. The facility possesses the technical infrastructure required to manufacture biologic therapeutics end-to-end, from cellular cultivation to finished dosage forms. Utilizing 2,000-liter single-use bioreactors with an aggregate capacity scalable to 140,000 liters annually, the plant has initiated the production of biosimilar active substances to serve both Turkish healthcare requirements and international export markets.

### Statement from Nezih Barut

**Nezih Barut, Chairman of the Board of Abdi İbrahim**, stated:

> “For 114 years, Abdi İbrahim has been producing for this country. We consider biotechnology as strategic a sector as the defense industry. True healthcare independence requires more than assembling medicines; it demands possessing the scientific knowledge, proprietary technology, and qualified human capital that originate the therapeutic. This is why we have invested in biotechnology for years. We are engineering the biosimilar of a critical cancer drug widely used worldwide starting from the host cell using our own clones—not through foreign technology transfers, but with our internal expertise.
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> We have completed critical phases in this joint project with TÜSEB. Our objective is to deliver Turkey’s first domestic biosimilar oncology therapy to patients by 2028. Every initiative brings our country new engineering capabilities and trained talent. However, our vision extends beyond domestic manufacturing and sales; our goal is to out-license our proprietary technology globally. Turkey must become an exporter of technology, not merely a consumer. When we founded AbdiBio, we made a promise: never to let a patient confronting cancer face the additional burden of struggling to access medicine. We walk this path alongside our state and TÜSEB. I thank TÜSEB and congratulate all my colleagues who contributed to this achievement.”

### Remarks by Prof. Dr. Ümit Kervan

Addressing the 12th Turkish Medical World Congress, **TÜSEB President Prof. Dr. Ümit Kervan** highlighted the joint biopharmaceutical oncology project with Abdi İbrahim while evaluating national programs designed to expand localized drug discovery and manufacturing. Kervan noted that TÜSEB's backing for clinical trials is producing tangible milestones, stating that domestic production of an essential oncology molecule has commenced in Turkey alongside the launch of its initial clinical trials.