Casgevy introduced in the UAE

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi health regulator, Department of Health Abu Dhabi, has introduced Vertex/CRISPR Therapeutic’s Casgevy, a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing therapy, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time.

The treatment will provided by Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center, in collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The first patient is scheduled to begin the therapy at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Clinic Hospital in April. The treatment has been included in insurance coverage, according to the department of health.

Abu Dhabi is the largest of seven emirates that constitute the UAE. The UAE’s drug regulatory body, the Emirates Drug Establishment, has granted a market authorization for Casgevy to treat patients aged 12 years and older who suffer from sickle cell disease with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises, as well as transfusion-dependent thalassemia.

Casgevy was approved by the U.S. FDA in December 2023, as the first gene-edited cell therapy for patients with sickle cell disease. In early 2024, its approval was expanded to include the treatment of transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia in patients 12 years and older.

In a push to position Abu Dhabi as a leading health care destination and life sciences hub, the department of health also facilitated the administration of Sarepta’s Elevidys gene therapy to a Duchenne muscular dystrophy patient in August 2024.