The verdict in three sentences
A pharmaceutical company website in Dubai costs between AED 180,000 and 380,000 in 2026, depending on the depth of the healthcare professional portal and the number of languages. The heaviest constraint is not technical: it is the strict separation between public information and medical information, with a review loop through the regulatory and medical teams. Allow 4 months, nearly one of which goes to regulatory review.
What regulation imposes on the website
In the UAE, advertising prescription medicines to the public is prohibited, and promotional and scientific materials fall under the rules of the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) and the Emirates Drug Establishment, with the Dubai Health Authority overseeing healthcare professionals in the emirate. In practice, a pharma website splits into two worlds that must never mix.
| Website zone | Allowed content | Access | Internal sign-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate public | History, plants, GMP certifications, ESG, careers | Open | Communications + management |
| Public product range | INN, forms and strengths, no therapeutic claims | Open | Regulatory affairs |
| Healthcare professional portal | SmPC, leaflets, studies, scientific materials | Verified account (licence number) | Regulatory + medical |
| Pharmacovigilance | Adverse event reporting form | Open, with acknowledgement | Pharmacovigilance lead |
| Careers | Openings, online applications | Open | HR |
| Suppliers and tenders | Tender documents | Supplier account | Procurement |
The pharmacovigilance form must timestamp each report, alert the responsible person within the hour and keep an exportable audit trail. It is a module of AED 20,000 to 45,000 on its own, not a job for a basic contact plugin.
Detailed budget in dirhams
| Item | 2026 range (AED excl. VAT) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery, sitemap and wireframes | 25,000 to 50,000 | Workshops with regulatory, medical, HR |
| Bilingual EN/AR design and build (RTL) | 45,000 to 90,000 | Arabic RTL adds 25 to 35% |
| HCP portal with account verification | 40,000 to 85,000 | Manual check or licence registry |
| Pharmacovigilance module | 20,000 to 45,000 | Timestamping, alerts, export |
| Product catalogue (150 to 300 SKUs) | 20,000 to 45,000 | Import from the regulatory file |
| UAE hosting and security (12 months) | 18,000 to 40,000 | In-country data centre, backups, SSL |
| Testing, training and documentation | 12,000 to 25,000 | 2 sessions for editors |
| Total | 180,000 to 380,000 | Excl. video and extra languages |
UAE hosting supports compliance with the Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on personal data protection and with health data rules that restrict storing health information outside the country. Pharmacovigilance reports and professional accounts contain sensitive data, and keeping them onshore simplifies compliance.
Realistic 4-month timeline
| Phase | Duration | Common bottleneck |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and content | 3 weeks | Availability of the regulatory lead |
| Wireframes and sign-off | 3 weeks | Marketing versus regulatory trade-offs |
| Development and integration | 6 weeks | Arabic translation of leaflets |
| Regulatory review | 3 to 4 weeks | Repeated feedback on product wording |
| Testing and go-live | 1 to 2 weeks | Opening pilot HCP accounts |
Planning regulatory review from day one avoids the most expensive mistake: a technically ready site waiting two months for approval.
Mini case study
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Omar, communications director at a generics company in Dubai (450 staff, 220 SKUs), receives around 900 documentation requests a month by phone and email from doctors and pharmacists. Each request takes 12 minutes of a medical rep's or assistant's time, or 180 hours a month. With an HCP portal costing AED 65,000 that gives verified self-service access to SmPCs and leaflets, 65% of requests move to self-service: 117 hours saved per month. At a loaded cost of AED 110 per hour, the saving is AED 12,870 a month, so the portal pays back in about 5 months.
FAQ
Can we present medicines on the public website?
You can list INNs, forms and strengths, without therapeutic claims or comparisons. Detailed medical information belongs in the HCP portal, accessible after licence verification.
Must hosting be in the UAE?
Health data rules restrict storing health information outside the UAE except in specific cases. Onshore hosting at AED 18,000 to 40,000 a year avoids that question for HCP accounts and pharmacovigilance.
How much does the Arabic version cost?
RTL integration adds 25 to 35% to design and build, or AED 12,000 to 30,000, plus content translation. Approved Arabic leaflets often already exist in the registration file.
What timeline for the full project?
Four months on average, including 3 to 4 weeks of regulatory review. A project without an HCP portal can come down to 10 weeks.
What maintenance should we plan for?
Budget AED 4,000 to 10,000 a month for security updates, new products and monitoring the pharmacovigilance form. A 4-hour SLA on that form is recommended.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of SKUs, required languages and hosting constraints, and we will price a website between AED 180,000 and 380,000 deliverable in 4 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
