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Turkish Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said Saturday that Türkiye will begin producing its own treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in the first half of 2026, marking a major step in the country’s efforts to address rare diseases.
“From now on, especially in molecular therapies and rare diseases, we will become a country that can produce its own treatments and medicines and provide these drugs to its people with ease,” Memisoglu said.
SMA is a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder that affects motor neurons in the spinal cord, leading to progressive muscle weakness and loss of movement. In its most severe forms, it can impair vital functions such as walking, swallowing, and breathing. Globally, the incidence of SMA is about 1 in 10,000 live births, but in Türkiye, the rate is higher, roughly 1 in 6,000 births.
Memisoglu’s remarks came during a visit to Canakkale province, where he met with local officials as part of the government’s “Healthy Türkiye Century” program.
He recalled the inauguration on Friday of the R&D Raw Material and Drug Production Center established by Polifarma in Tekirdag’s Ergene district. “The opening of this facility is one of the models of ‘productive health,’ in which Türkiye produces both its own drugs and raw materials. Hopefully, in the first half of 2026, Türkiye will produce its own SMA drug and take a step forward in the field of rare diseases,” he said.
Memisoglu added that Türkiye aims not only to meet domestic needs but also to supply the region. “Not only for our own country but also for all the people in surrounding countries who are in need, we will deliver the medicines we produce with our national technology in 2026,” he said.
The minister stressed that Türkiye has made significant progress in healthcare over the past 25 years. “Now, within our productive health model, under the coordination of the Türkiye Health Institutes Presidency (TUSEB), we are working toward an independent Türkiye in health, capable of producing its own devices, materials, and medicines,” he said.
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