The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has secured three major pharmaceutical partnerships during a week-long strategic mission to the United States, establishing the emirate’s position as a regional hub for biopharmaceutical innovation and manufacturing. The agreements with Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, and Abbott were signed at the BIO International Convention in Boston between 17-20 June 2025.
Research platform access unlocks drug discovery potential
The partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim centres on providing Abu Dhabi researchers with access to the company’s OpnME platform, a comprehensive drug discovery resource. The platform offers four distinct programmes: Molecule to Order (M2O), Molecule for Collaboration (M4C), opn2EXPERTS (o2e), and opnTALENTS (o25). These initiatives provide access to advanced pharmaceutical compounds, collaborative research opportunities, expert networks, and support for emerging scientific talent.
Dr Asma Ibrahim Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Health Life Sciences Sector at DoH, emphasised the strategic importance of the collaboration: “We’re empowering Abu Dhabi researchers with the opnMe platform, an open portal offering top-tier pharmaceutical compounds, fostering collaboration and safeguarding researchers’ rights to their findings. This is about transforming our emirate into a global life sciences hub, speeding up breakthroughs, and building a healthier, resilient future for all.”
The agreement enables local researchers to leverage cutting-edge data and resources to address critical biological challenges while maintaining intellectual property rights to their discoveries. This approach represents a significant investment in regional research capacity building and scientific infrastructure development.
Vaccine development acceleration through public-private collaboration
The Memorandum of Understanding with Sanofi focuses specifically on accelerating global vaccine development timelines through the integration of Abu Dhabi’s health-technology ecosystem with Sanofi’s research capabilities. The collaboration aims to streamline the pathway from early research through to public availability by implementing advanced technologies, real-time data analysis, and parallel clinical trial phases.
Dr Al Mannaei outlined the partnership’s objectives: “DoH is partnering with Sanofi to expedite the development of new global vaccines. This initiative aims to shorten the timeline from early research to public availability by utilising advanced technologies, real-time data analysis, and conducting parallel clinical trial phases.”
Baptiste de Clarens, General Manager Greater Gulf, Vaccines at Sanofi, described the agreement as “an encouraging step towards advancing global health security whilst reflecting our shared interest in addressing global health challenges through scientific partnership.”
The collaboration encompasses regulatory process optimisation, manufacturing preparedness enhancement, and knowledge transfer between local and international experts. Both organisations will advance clinical research planning, optimise resource allocation, and establish funding frameworks designed to enhance healthcare resilience across the region.
Local pharmaceutical manufacturing strengthens supply chain resilience
The partnership with Abbott represents the most comprehensive manufacturing-focused agreement, establishing a framework for local pharmaceutical production in Abu Dhabi. The collaboration addresses four key areas: localisation of Abbott’s pharmaceutical portfolio, biosimilar development, digital transformation through electronic patient information systems, and workforce development initiatives.
Dr Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, contextualised the partnership within broader regional healthcare strategy: “Following the recent launch of the Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) Cluster in Abu Dhabi, the emirate proved to be equipped with a holistic, integrated infrastructure that fosters local manufacturing and R&D, positioning it as a regional healthcare gateway and leader in life sciences.”
Mazen Bachir, Regional Director for Abbott’s established pharmaceuticals business in the Gulf, Emerging Markets and Levant, highlighted the partnership’s comprehensive scope: “This partnership will focus on localising existing pharmaceutical products, and jointly exploring the development of biosimilars, supported by regulatory alignment. The collaboration also includes initiatives to digitise life science product information through electronic leaflets in alignment with the UAE’s digital health strategy.”
Strategic delegation advances healthcare innovation ecosystem
The agreements were secured during a high-level delegation mission to the United States from 14-21 June 2025, led by DoH. The delegation conducted over 20 strategic meetings with public and private sector leaders, focusing on knowledge exchange, investment opportunities, and advanced health solution adoption.
The delegation represented Abu Dhabi’s comprehensive innovation ecosystem, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Mubadala BIO, M42, Masdar City, KEZAD, PureHealth, Etihad Cargo, New York University Abu Dhabi, Khalifa University, startAD, and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
These partnerships collectively position Abu Dhabi to reduce import dependency, strengthen pharmaceutical supply chain resilience, and establish a sustainable healthcare ecosystem. The agreements demonstrate the emirate’s strategic approach to healthcare innovation, combining international expertise with local infrastructure to advance regional biopharmaceutical capabilities whilst contributing to global health security objectives.
