Riyadh: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has implemented the Regulatory AI System for Incoming Drugs (RASID) service to enhance regulatory operations at entry points for arriving pilgrims during the Hajj season. This initiative aims to improve the efficiency and accuracy of smart verification processes for controlled medications, significantly elevating the overall pilgrim experience while optimizing border regulatory operations.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the RASID service facilitates the verification of medications carried by travelers, instantly detecting substances classified as narcotics or psychotropics under SFDA regulations. It also addresses operational challenges such as the complexity of manual verification, language diversity, and global variations in pharmaceutical brand names and active ingredients.
This deployment aligns with Saudi Arabia's Year of Artificial Intelligence 2026, showcasing integrated government efforts to harness modern technologies and AI to advance the regulatory ecosystem during Hajj. Developed by Saudi talent within the SFDA Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL), RASID reflects the authority's commitment to leveraging advanced technologies to enhance regulatory operations and transition to smart digital solutions.
Since its inception, the service has undergone continuous technological enhancements to ensure readiness for field operations during Hajj, demonstrating SFDA's focus on advancing national AI-powered solutions. RASID has achieved significant results, including processing over 50 languages, verifying more than 2,000 medications in just 10 days, and reducing verification times by up to 98%, saving over 1,500 working hours.
These advancements have expedited border procedures, prevented unauthorized product circulation, and enhanced field operation sustainability, reinforcing Saudi Arabia's leadership in crowd management and ensuring safety and security. SFDA CEO Dr. Hisham Aljadhey launched the service during the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh last October, marking a shift from traditional oversight to proactive, data-driven protection.
RASID stands as a model for national AI-powered solutions, elevating government service operational capabilities and directly supporting Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom's path to global leadership in artificial intelligence.
