The clinical research landscape of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is quickly developing with a regulatory framework coming into place over the last few years, said Rohan Simon, associate director of business development at IROS by M42, the UAE’s first contract research organisation (CRO).

Simon discussed the ins and outs of the UAE’s clinical trials ecosystem at the Outsourcing in Clinical Trials Conference in New England, US. At the meeting, held from 23 to 24 October, industry professionals discussed different aspects of clinical trial operations and issues affecting the sector.

GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology.

The number of clinical trials in the region is increasing due to government engagement, says Simon. GlobalData reports that 77 ongoing clinical trials are occurring in the UAE as of 25 October. “There are lots of public-private partnerships to drive growth, there are a lot of family venture capital offices,” he adds.

GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology.

Simon detailed the Emirati Genome Programme as a useful tool in determining the market potential for therapeutics in this area. The program aims to genetically sequence the genomes of Emirati citizens to allow the development of personalised and preventive care. Genomic data in the programme is diverse as the country’s population is made up of a 90% expat community and a 10% local Emirati population, said Simon. IROS has previously used the programme to identify whether there is a large enough patient population for certain rare diseases in the region to run clinical studies, explained Simon.

Recruitment is also made easier through the healthcare culture, said the associate director. He explained that patients are culturally inclined to follow physician guidance to enter clinical trials due to the cultural respect given to the physician’s position.

“They [UAE Government] are very much interested in investment into upcoming pharma companies in the hope of driving research here,” said Simon. During the Covid-19 pandemic, clinical trials ramped up massively in the region to test vaccines during the and now regulators want to keep that momentum going.