The Department of Health (DoH) Abu Dhabi in the UAE has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pfizer Gulf to bolster research in areas including sickle cell disease (SCD).
This deal is part of Abu Dhabi’s strategy to become a key hub for healthcare, life science and innovation across the globe.
Initially, this collaboration will focus on SCD research, utilising the emirate’s advanced data services and Pfizer’s international expertise.
The parties will advance the research through the generation and analysis of real-world data (RWD) on SCD and other disease areas.
Signed during the BIO 2024 International Convention, the MoU was formalised by DoH’s Research and Innovation Centre executive director Dr Asma Al Mannaei and Pfizer Gulf Cluster lead Serhat Yalcinkaya in the presence of DoH chairman Mansoor Al Mansoori.
The collaboration aims to bolster Abu Dhabi’s capabilities in handling RWD, promoting the exchange of global knowledge and the education of scientific concepts.
A key focus of the agreement is to upskill the regional healthcare workforce in the utilisation of RWD.
By fostering a dynamic partnership model, the initiative seeks to promote education and raise awareness about the generation, collection, and analysis of real-world evidence (RWE), to address unmet patient needs in various disease areas.
Dr Al Mannaei 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.”