NewBridge Pharmaceutical – in partnership with UCB Belgium – meet with visiting Belgian officials in Dubai underscoring their continued and collaborative commitment to improving health and quality of life of patients in the region.
Last week, UCB Belgium and their regional partners, NewBridge Pharmaceuticals welcomed Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid and a high-level ministerial and business delegation to the United Arab Emirates to celebrate the companies’ dedication to healthcare – among other sectors – in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region as part of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency (BFTA) economic trade mission. The celebration, also attended by leading healthcare officials and professionals across the Emirates, demonstrated the impact of collaboration in healthcare between Belgium and the UAE on residents across the region.
NewBridge – a BVI-domiciled speciality therapeutics company headquartered in Dubai – and global biopharmaceutical company UCB Belgium bring innovative medicines to the Middle East and Africa that address unmet medical needs of diseases with high regional prevalence. As a result of their unique partnership and presence in the region, patients with long-term diseases, for example rheumatoid arthritis or epilepsy, will continue to have an improved quality of life.
Joe Henein, President and CEO of NewBridge Pharmaceuticals, said: “It is an honor to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid to Dubai, and to the United Arab Emirates. We are delighted to celebrate the long-term partnership between NewBridge and UCB Belgium, and our ongoing efforts to bring internationally approved Therapeutics and Biological Treatments to patients living in the Emirates and throughout the region. Together, we aid in reducing the burden of chronic diseases in the Arab countries, and improving patients’ lives.”
As part of the celebration, Dr. Jamal Al Saleh, President of the Emirates Society of Rheumatology and Head of Rheumatology at Dubai Hospital and Dr. Suhail Abdulla Al-Rukn, President of the Emirates Neurology Society and Director of the Neurology Residency Program at Rashid Hospital, discussed how access to innovative Therapeutics and Biologic Therapies enables healthcare professionals to offer effective and rapid treatment to their patients with chronic conditions.
Dr. Jamal Al Saleh commented: “Chronic health conditions such as arthritis place a significant burden on many living in the Emirates – in fact, approximately 20% of the UAE population suffer from joint pain. 1, 2. As healthcare professionals, our aim is to provide the best care for our patient, and ultimately improve their quality of life. Collaborations between healthcare professionals and biopharmaceuticals enable the international sharing of knowledge and best practices in research, training, education and data to improve patient care and clinical outcomes across the region.”
Dr. Suhail Abdulla Al-Rukn also discussed the burden of epilepsy in the UAE and throughout the region – a neurological condition that causes recurrent seizures. “Experts believe epilepsy affects approximately 724,000 residents living in the Arab world.3 As the symptoms can vary from person to person, the type of anti-epileptic medication required will depend on a number of factors, for example the patient’s age and the kind of seizures they are having. As such, it can take time to determine the right course of treatment. Having a wider range of treatments available allows patients in all communities to more swiftly, and effectively control their seizures and lead a normal life.”
HRH Princess Astrid’s attendance at the celebratory event in Dubai is part of a three-day trade mission to the UAE to bolster economic partnerships across industry sectors between the two nations.
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