Move to ease clinical burden associated with rare diseases

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

In a significant milestone in the UAE’s efforts to alleviate the economic and clinical burden associated with rare diseases and to provide effective solutions for individuals living with rare genetic disorders, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), a subsidiary of PureHealth, the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East, has entered into a collaborative agreement with Sanofi, one of the most innovative global healthcare companies.

The partnership aims to enhance diagnostic performance and accuracy in the field of rare diseases, with a particular focus on expediting the screening process for lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) and reducing the average diagnostic journey for rare disease patients.

Working in collaboration with SEHA, Sanofi will leverage its extensive expertise in disease pathways to expedite the generation and application of clinical knowledge for the accurate diagnosis of patients with lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), including Gaucher disease, Acid Sphingomyelinase Deficiency (ASMD) disease B and A/B, Pompe disease, Fabry disease, and Mucopolysaccharidosis diseases.

Moreover, Sanofi will offer a comprehensive suite of sponsored services to enhance patient access to an early and precise diagnosis. The company will assume the expenses associated with laboratory testing, as well as the packaging, storage, and shipment of samples to accredited send-out laboratories.

In addition, Sanofi will provide training to SEHA’s healthcare professionals (HCPs) on sample collection procedures and best practices. This will enable SEHA to integrate the testing into their electronic systems, facilitating differential diagnostics panels and early detection of rare conditions.

Rashed Al Qubaisi, Chief Corporate Officer, PureHealth said: “At PureHealth, we are committed to transforming the healthcare landscape in the UAE and beyond, and we are actively exploring development of solutions and treatments for rare diseases. By leveraging our collaborative expertise with Sanofi, we aim to revolutionize diagnostic performance and expedite the screening process for lysosomal storage disorders. Our ultimate goal is to drastically reduce the diagnostic journey for rare disease patients, ensuring timely interventions and improved outcomes. This strategic collaboration reinforces our efforts for providing effective healthcare solutions and empowering individuals and communities to live longer, healthier and fuller lives, in line with our mission to advance longevity and unlock time for humankind.”

Jean-Paul Scheuer, MCO Lead and Specialty Care General Manager said: “The journey to rare disease diagnosis is a long one, given such diseases can be difficult to identify and given the many gaps prevalent in the local diagnostic system. Through our collaboration with SEHA, Sanofi aims to fundamentally transform the rare disease diagnostics landscape in the UAE by removing the barriers and delays in the diagnosis of LSD patients, improving their access to effective treatment and care.”

“As a strategic partner to the UAE healthcare sector, we believe we have an important responsibility to understand and address the unmet needs of patients and empower them to live better, fuller lives by pushing the limits of science and innovation. Creating value-generating partnerships is essential to accelerating healthcare innovation and unlocking new possibilities for patients, and we look forward to working closely with SEHA to ease the burden on rare disease patients by supporting them with early diagnosis and better health outcomes,” Jean-Paul Scheuer added.

In his comments, Saeed Jaber Al Kuwaiti, Group Chief Executive Officer of SEHA said: “As the Emirate of Abu Dhabi reimagines healthcare by embracing digital transformation and a patient-first approach, we recognise that building high-impact alliances with regional and global healthcare innovators is crucial to elevating the standard of care and delivering cutting-edge preventive, diagnostic and treatment options to the people of our nation. Sanofi brings a long history of innovation in rare disease research, and we are very excited to join hands with them in our endeavour to empower the patient community by enabling effective diagnosis and sustainable access to treatment and bring rare disease patients into the mainstream of the public health system.”