AstraZeneca has teamed up with one of Abu Dhabi’s leading healthtech companies to boost clinical research and diagnostics’ frameworks in the United Arab Emirates.

The British-Swedish pharma and biotechnology multinational announced a partnership with G42 Healthcare – a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing business, G42 – to reportedly explore real-world evidence and conduct clinical trials through Insights Research Organization & Solutions (IROS).

“We are proud to work closely with AstraZeneca on a wide array of research and diagnostic avenues in the UAE,” said Ashish Koshy, CEO of G42 Healthcare. “We deeply encourage opportunities for collaboration with international organisations to share our knowledge and expertise to drive the growth of the sector in the nation and beyond.

“We are confident in the incredible potential this partnership holds for the sector and the future of the region’s healthcare landscape.”

Part of the agreement between the two organisations will also see them explore real-world evidence in the field of genomics, as well as comprehensive clinical diagnostic services through G42 Healthcare’s Biogenix Labs.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

This latest announcement follows the recent signing of a Declaration of Collaboration between AstraZeneca and the Department of Health (DoH) Abu Dhabi in October to enhance innovation in the UAE healthcare sector by “addressing the government’s strategy to increase patients’ access to quality healthcare services and treatments locally and beyond”.

“Our partnership with important companies contribute to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as an incubator for innovation in life sciences and a leading destination for healthcare globally,” said H.E. Abdulla Bin Mohamed Al Hamed, Chairman of DoH Abu Dhabi. “We are keen to follow the directives of our wise leadership to consolidate fruitful cooperative relations that bring together local institutions with major international companies in the health sector.”

He continued: “All of our efforts come in line with the emirate’s vision to provide high quality and efficient healthcare services following global scientific foundations [and employing] the latest innovations and technologies in healthcare. This will further stimulate a knowledge-based economy in the capital and the UAE as a whole and ensure the health and safety of all communities around the world.”

WHY IT MATTERS

Part of G42 Healthcare, IROS is dubbed as the first-of-its-kind Contract Research Organisation (CRO) in the UAE, specialised in supporting clinical trials in healthcare research.

“With the increasing incidence of chronic diseases, cancer, and haematological disorders that require life-saving drugs, the MENA region needs a sustainable and robust clinical research infrastructure,” Dr. Walid Zaher, CEO of IROS and Chief Research Officer at G42 Healthcare, said during IROS’s official launch in September. “The UAE has an immense capacity for research and the substrate to develop a strong regulatory framework, which makes it an ideal location to build a CRO to service the needs of the region.

“With its surrounding population size and diversity in genetic profile and lifestyle, IROS has the perfect landscape to foster research and testing, leading to innovative new drugs and therapies.”

ON THE RECORD

“AstraZeneca is excited to collaborate with G42 Healthcare to further advance the healthcare sector in the country and region,” said Sameh Elfangary, Country President of GCC and Pakistan at AstraZeneca. “Innovation in healthcare is a continuous process, and we are constantly pushing the boundaries of science to uncover and deliver life-changing medicines to patients in the UAE and across the region.

“This collaboration allows us to explore greater possibilities in clinical research and diagnostics which will help us create a more patient-centric healthcare sector in the UAE.”