Labworx

One of the foremost healthtech companies in the UAE has announced it will be teaming up with British-Swedish pharma and biotech company AstraZeneca. G42 Healthcare, which is based in Abu Dhabi, is partnering with AstraZeneca to further its knowledge in clinical trials and healthcare research.

By collaborating with AstraZeneca, the UAE hopes to gain invaluable insight into global best practices, which in turn can help to boost its domestic diagnostics and clinical research frameworks and capabilities. The agreement follows hot on the heels of another between AstraZeneca and Emirati authorities, signalling the mutually beneficial relationship between the two entities.

The players

AstraZeneca is headquartered in Cambridge, England and employs some 6,500 people across the UK, though it also has a strong presence in Sweden. It achieved global fame after pioneering the successful Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to contain the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but its history and scope stretches much further than that. Formed in 1999, the company offers an extensive portfolio of pharmaceuticals and treatment plans for a wide range of health complications.

Meanwhile, G42 Healthcare is a subsidiary of the cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) business G42, which is also based in Abu Dhabi. Although G42 Healthcare does explore scientific AI, it has a much broader remit overall. For example, its Insights Research Organisation and Solutions (IROS) unit has been called the first-of-its-kind Contact Research Organisation (CRO) in the UAE and specialises in clinical trials.

An exciting partnership

Indeed, it is for precisely this reason that G42 Healthcare has chosen to partner with AstraZeneca, since the former believe that the latter can provide significant assistance in furthering its capabilities. The UAE has already demonstrated its capacity as a leading provider of healthcare research opportunities and regulatory frameworks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, but its collaboration with AstraZeneca will only bolster that position further.

Indeed, the diversity and size of the UAE’s population means that it is in a unique position to explore new drugs and treatment plans for a variety of ailments. The creation of IROS and the assistance of AstraZeneca should be instrumental in making that vision a reality.

Strengthening ties

The deal with G42 Healthcare comes shortly after AstraZeneca announced a Declaration of Collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Department of Health (DoH) in October last year. The agreement is expected to facilitate achievement of the government’s goal of increasing access to quality services and treatments for citizens and healthcare tourists alike.

“Our partnership with important companies contribute to strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as an incubator for innovation in life sciences and a leading destination for healthcare globally,” explained Abdullah bin Mohamed al Hamed, chairman of the DoH. “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.”

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