From obesity and cholesterol medicines to a nasal spray for severe allergies, new approvals are expanding treatment options for patients when existing therapies are insufficient.
Over the past year, the UAE has approved a range of new medicines and expanded uses for existing treatments, covering conditions from obesity and heart disease to cancer, dry eyes and vitiligo.
The approvals include alternatives to established treatments, such as a pill for weight management instead of an injection and a nasal spray that can be used instead of an adrenaline shot during a severe allergic reaction. Several of these medicines were approved in the UAE among the first countries worldwide to authorise them.
For patients, however, the more important question is straightforward: What do these new approvals actually mean for them?
10 major medicine approvals in the UAE and what they mean for patients
The UAE has approved a range of new medicines and expanded uses for existing treatments over the past year. From weight-loss pills and cholesterol treatments to gene therapy and needle-free emergency medication, these approvals are giving eligible patients more options when existing treatments may not be sufficient.
1. Foundayo: A weight-loss pill instead of injections
Foundayo, or orforglipron, is a once-daily oral medicine for chronic weight management. It can be prescribed to adults with obesity and certain overweight patients who also have related health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
For patients who are uncomfortable with injections, the medicine provides a needle-free alternative. Doctors have cautioned, however, that it is not a quick fix. Patients still need to maintain a healthy diet and exercise, and treatment may need to continue over the long term for some people.
2. Oral Wegovy: More choice for obesity treatment
The UAE also became the second country globally to approve oral Wegovy, or semaglutide.
The once-daily pill provides a needle-free option for eligible patients with obesity or overweight accompanied by related health conditions. It is intended to be used alongside a healthy diet and regular physical activity. The treatment has also been shown to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in certain high-risk patients.
3. Lipfendra: Cholesterol treatment as a pill
Lipfendra gives doctors another option for patients whose LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, remains too high despite existing treatment.
Dr Hesham Tayel, consultant cardiologist and specialist interventional cardiologist at International Modern Hospital Dubai, said it could be particularly useful for high-risk patients and some people with inherited high cholesterol.
The key difference is convenience. Treatments targeting the PCSK9 protein have largely been delivered by injection, while Lipfendra is taken once daily as a pill. It is not expected to replace commonly prescribed cholesterol medicines for most patients.
4. Baxfendy: For hard-to-control blood pressure
Baxfendy is aimed at patients whose blood pressure remains high despite existing treatment.
Rather than replacing their regular blood-pressure medicines, it provides doctors with another option that can be added when current treatments are not enough. The UAE became the first country in the world to approve the treatment.
5. Inpefa: For heart failure
Inpefa, or sotagliflozin, is an oral treatment for heart failure. The UAE became the second country globally to authorise it.
For eligible patients, it gives doctors another option for reducing complications associated with heart failure and serious cardiovascular problems. The treatment may also provide benefits for kidney health and blood sugar control.
6. EURneffy: Adrenaline without the needle
One of the most straightforward changes for patients is EURneffy, a nasal spray that delivers epinephrine, or adrenaline, during severe allergic reactions.
Instead of requiring an injection, eligible adults and children can receive the medicine through the nose, providing a potentially simpler way to administer emergency treatment.
7. Miebo: For dry eyes
Miebo is a prescription eye drop for dry-eye disease. Rather than simply adding moisture to the eye, it targets excessive tear evaporation.
This gives doctors another treatment option for patients experiencing symptoms such as burning, irritation, blurred vision and discomfort, particularly when excessive tear evaporation contributes to the condition.
8. Etcamah: For certain breast cancers
Etcamah is not intended for every breast cancer patient. It is aimed at certain patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose tumours develop an ESR1 mutation while they are receiving hormone therapy.
For these patients, it provides another targeted treatment option when the cancer begins to develop resistance to existing hormone therapy.
9. Itvisma: Gene therapy for SMA
Itvisma is a one-time gene therapy for eligible patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disease that causes progressive muscle weakness.
Rather than simply managing symptoms, the therapy targets the underlying genetic cause of the disease. For eligible patients, this could reduce the need for repeated treatments.
10. RINVOQ: A pill for vitiligo
The UAE became the first country globally to approve RINVOQ, or upadacitinib, for non-segmental vitiligo.
The medicine was already approved for other conditions; what is new is its approval for vitiligo. The once-daily pill provides a systemic treatment option for eligible patients, particularly when treating individual patches may not be sufficient.
What approval means for patients
Regulatory approval does not necessarily mean a medicine will be immediately available to every patient or automatically covered by insurance. Availability and coverage can depend on factors including a patient’s insurance policy and the medical reason for which the medicine is prescribed.
