UAE’s health ministry partners with pharma company to support cancer patients

Dubai - This is an attempt to increase sustainable access to innovative medicines for complex and rare diseases.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, has partnered with pharmaceutical and health services companies, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Axios Health Education Services, to support lymphoma and coloenteritis patients.
In a statement, the ministry said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the companies, as part of its efforts to provide medications to low-income patients who are suffering from several diseases but have no access to insurance coverage.
The MoU is intended to provide medications to patients who have relapsed or are unresponsive to treatment in lymphocytes and Hodgkin's lymphoma, as well as patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease (inflammatory bowel disease), through the provision of medications produced by Takeda, free of charge.
The amount of medication provided to each patient is estimated according to their ability to pay based on the case study of the patient's financial situation conducted by Axios in cooperation with the charities licenced in the UAE.
Dr Amin Hussain Al Amiri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Public Health Policies and Licensing, signed the MoU on behalf of MoHAP, in the presence of Dr Ruqaya Al Bastaki, Director of MOHAP's Drug Department, while Takafumi Horii, General Manager for the Middle East, signed it on behalf of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Anas Al Safarini, Executive Director of Axios Health Education Services, signed on behalf of Axios.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Akihiko Nakajima, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Japan in the UAE.
Ambassador Nakajima highlighted the joint vision and cooperation strategy between the UAE and Japan under a framework titled, 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative for Future Cooperation'. He added, "I'm very proud that the one of the biggest medical companies in Japan and MoHAP collaborate fulfilling patient needs."
Hori expressed his pleasure to be cooperating with MoHAP to help patients gain access to medicines, regardless of their ability to afford the full cost of treatment, via Takeda's Patient Assistance Programmes. These programmes, he explained, have been designed to increase sustainable access to innovative medicines for complex and rare diseases.
 

• Dubai