Department of Health – Abu Dhabi Partners with Pfizer to Advance Research in Sickle Cell Disease and Beyond

4 Jun, 2024:

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pfizer Gulf FZ LLC, a global pharmaceutical company during BIO 2024 International Convention. Under the declaration, the entities will work to enhance Abu Dhabi’s position as leading global hub for healthcare, life science and innovation. Leveraging the Emirate’s unique capabilities and future-forward data services as well as Pfizer’s global capabilities, the parties seek to advance research through the generation and analysis of real-world data (RWD) initially focusing on Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and expanding to other disease areas for the benefit of patients locally, regionally and beyond.

SCD is a significant public health concern in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries with prevalence rates ranging from 0.24% to 5.8%. SCD can lead to pain throughout the body and serious damage to organs, such as the heart and kidneys. The disease often disrupts daily life, affects patients’ ability to work and substantially impairs their health-related quality of life.

In the presence of H.E. Mansoor Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) the MoU was signed by Dr Asma Al Mannaei, the Executive Director of the Research and Innovation Centre at DoH and Serhat Yalcinkaya, Pfizer’s Gulf Cluster Lead.

Dr Asma Ibrahim Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Research and Innovation Center at the at DoH said: “The collaboration between the DoH and Pfizer represents a significant step towards harnessing real-world data in the region and better understanding patient populations from the vast available data in Abu Dhabi. By partnering with Pfizer on real-world data, we aim to drive advancements in healthcare prediction, prevention, personalised treatment and access, not only benefiting healthcare professionals and patients in Abu Dhabi, but also contributing to the improvement of care for patients globally.”

The two entities will work together to advance Abu Dhabi’s RWD capabilities by promoting global knowledge exchange and education of scientific ideas. Excellence in the delivery of healthcare services remain at the forefront of DoH’s priorities, as it strives to continuously enhance the quality of care through rolling out specialised and personalised healthcare services in line with international standards and best practices. The agreement will focus on upskilling the local healthcare workforce on RWD by establishing a dynamic and sustainable partnership model promoting education and awareness on real-world evidence (RWE) generation, collection and analysis in order to address unmet patient needs.

Dr. Asma Ibrahim Al Mannaei, continued: "Under the directives of our wise leadership, our Emirate continues to be a strong proponent of collaborative research and innovation in our mission to establish Abu Dhabi as the next generation hub for health and life science. We are committed to collaborating with our partners to harness the unique potential real-world data offers to unlock actionable healthcare insights not typically garnered from traditional clinical trials. These insights will drive advancements in precise and personalised health solutions, accelerating the move from reactive to proactive care.”

Serhat Yalcinkaya, Pfizer Gulf Cluster Lead commented: "It is a significant moment for Pfizer Gulf as we sign this Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Health. This collaboration is not just a testament to our shared vision but also a strategic step towards enhancing healthcare innovation in the Gulf region. Through this MoU, we are committed to leveraging Real-World Data initially focusing on Sickle Cell Disease landscape and exploring further to other disease areas, ultimately improving patient outcomes and transforming Abu Dhabi into a global hub for life sciences. We are proud to partner with the Department of Health and look forward to the positive impact our joint efforts will bring to the communities we serve."

Led by DoH, a high-profile Abu Dhabi delegation is visiting the United States of America between May 30^th,2024 and June 6^th 2024. The delegation will showcase the Emirate’s diversified set of unique capabilities including its world-class infrastructure, intelligent healthcare system, genome oasis, and best-in-class science, technology and talent supporting research, development and clinical trials. DoH is issuing a global invitation to explore partnership opportunities with trailblazing organisations across academia, biotech and pharmaceuticals to unlock opportunities that will improve outcomes and patient quality of life around the world.

The mission will culminate in San Diego, coinciding with DoH’s participation at BIO International Convention 2024 to exhibit Abu Dhabi’s full potential as a hub for the next generation of health and life science innovation.