UAE has 177 clinical studies recruiting or active as Abu Dhabi health summit ends
Zavis analysis finds 16 UAE studies were first posted on the global registry in the last 90 days, 7 of them in the last 30 days.
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Key findings
- 177 UAE studies are recruiting or active now
- 16 UAE studies were first posted in the last 90 days
- Industry sponsors 48% of active UAE studies
- 34 active UAE studies include phase 3, including combined phase 2/3
- ART Fertility Clinics LLC is lead sponsor of 18 active UAE studies
The Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit 2026 has concluded with AI drug discovery and clinical research partnerships, according to news reports. The Zavis GCC Clinical Trials Monitor shows how much clinical research the UAE already runs.
What the data shows
The UAE has 177 studies recruiting or active now, according to the Zavis GCC Clinical Trials Monitor. The monitor tracks studies on ClinicalTrials.gov, the public registry run by the US National Library of Medicine, that have at least one site in a GCC country. Of those UAE studies, 94 are recruiting now. In all, 629 studies have had a site in the UAE.
New registrations continue. Zavis analysis finds 16 UAE studies first posted in the last 90 days and 7 in the last 30 days. Saudi Arabia has 1,796 studies all time, 387 recruiting or active now and 45 first posted in the last 90 days. Qatar has 271 studies all time and Oman has 150.
| Country | Studies (all time) | Recruiting or active now | First posted in last 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 629 | 177 | 16 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,796 | 387 | 45 |
| Qatar | 271 | 53 | 6 |
| Kuwait | 220 | 37 | 4 |
| Bahrain | 71 | 8 | 3 |
| Oman | 150 | 48 | 9 |
Industry sponsors 48% of active UAE studies. There are 34 active UAE studies that include phase 3, including combined phase 2/3. The phase table lists 27 as phase 3 and 7 as phase 2/phase 3. Another 63 are labelled ‘Not applicable’ and 63 are labelled ‘Not stated’.
ART Fertility Clinics LLC tops the list of lead sponsors with 18 active UAE studies. Next come Gulf Medical University with 15, AstraZeneca with 12, and then the University of Sharjah and Sanofi with 11 each. Three condition labels share the top spot with 5 active studies each: ‘Infertility, Female’, ‘Multiple Sclerosis’ and ‘Infertility’.
| Sponsor | Active studies |
|---|---|
| ART Fertility Clinics LLC | 18 |
| Gulf Medical University | 15 |
| AstraZeneca | 12 |
| University of Sharjah | 11 |
| Sanofi | 11 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals | 5 |
| Abu Dhabi Health Services Company | 5 |
| Hoffmann-La Roche | 5 |
| Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences | 5 |
| AbbVie | 5 |
ART Fertility Clinics LLC also tops the list of UAE sites, with 14 active studies. Gulf Medical University has 12, the University of Sharjah 10 and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi 7.
Of the 7 studies first posted in the last 30 days, 3 come from Gulf Medical University. Only one new study is listed as phase 1: a study of ISM9528 sponsored by InSilico Medicine Hong Kong Limited. Sanofi posted a study of multiple sclerosis patients treated with tolebrutinib in a real-world setting.
| Study | Lead sponsor | Phase | Registry ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Phase 1, Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of ISM9528 | InSilico Medicine Hong Kong Limited | Phase 1 | NCT07932041 |
| Photobiomodulation vs. Palatal Stent for Palatal Donor Site Healing After Free Gingival Grafting | Gulf Medical University | Not applicable | NCT07923916 |
| L-PRF Block vs Composite Graft for Horizontal Ridge Augmentation | Gulf Medical University | Not applicable | NCT07918950 |
| Immediate Effect of Slump Neural Tensioners Compared With Neural Sliders on Dynamic Balance in Asymptomatic Young Adults | Gulf Medical University | Not applicable | NCT07918703 |
| Middle East Study of Infections in Patients With Hematological Malignancies | Hamad Medical Corporation | Not stated | NCT07900542 |
| A Study to Describe Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated With Tolebrutinib as Per Label in a Real-world Setting | Sanofi | Not stated | NCT07898371 |
| Prospective Study on Antimicrobial RESIstance in Chronic Pulmonary DiseasE | Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico | Not stated | NCT07874139 |
What it means
The summit put clinical research partnerships on the agenda. The Zavis data shows the base those partnerships start from. The UAE has 177 studies recruiting or active, and industry sponsors 48% of them. Universities and fertility clinics sit near the top of the sponsor list alongside global drug makers. For investors and hospital operators, the sponsor and site tables show which UAE institutions currently hold the most active studies.
The pace of new registrations is worth tracking after the summit. If the announced partnerships turn into studies, they should appear in the monthly count of new UAE studies, which stands at 7 for the last 30 days.
The figures have limits. Not every trial run in the region is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. One study can also count for several countries, so the country totals overlap.
Sources
Zavis Intelligence Team
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