New anti-viral medication, Sotrovimab, is now available for early treatment for selected patients with Covid-19 in the UAE. Picture supplied
New anti-viral medication, Sotrovimab, is now available for early treatment for selected patients with Covid-19 in the UAE. Picture supplied
New anti-viral medication, Sotrovimab, is now available for early treatment for selected patients with Covid-19 in the UAE. Picture supplied
New anti-viral medication, Sotrovimab, is now available for early treatment for selected patients with Covid-19 in the UAE. Picture supplied

UAE

UAE first country in world to receive revolutionary Covid-19 medication

Sotrovimab has been shown to prevent death in 85 per cent of early treatment cases

Soraya Ebrahimi
Soraya Ebrahimi

June 17, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

The world’s newest anti-viral medication for Covid-19, Sotrovimab, is now available for early treatment for selected patients with Covid-19 in the UAE.

Studies have shown the medicine prevents extreme illness and death in 85 per cent of early treatment cases and can work on all known variations to date.

The medication arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, making the UAE the first country in the world to receive the drug.

Sotrovimab is an antibody treatment that is delivered intravenously. It is a therapy, not a vaccine.

This medicine is at the forefront of pharmaceutical advancement and is a powerful tool in our fight to end this pandemic

It can be used to treat adults and children above the age of 12 who meet certain criteria and are at risk of severe cases of Covid-19, under protocols developed by the National Scientific Committee.

After receiving positive scientific opinion from the European Medicines Agency, GlaxoSmithKline applied to have Sotrovimab approved for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration and the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention.

It gained approval from both.

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health and healthcare procurement company Rafed agreed with GlaxoSmithKline to ensure deliveries as early as June and July.

That means patients in the UAE will be among the first in the world to have access to the new therapy.

“We have been working very closely with the Department of Health and Rafed since the interim results of the clinical trials with Sotrovimab were available,” said Gizem Akalin, managing director of GlaxoSmithKline Gulf.

A woman receives the Covid-19 vaccine at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City. Victor Besa / The National
A woman receives the Covid-19 vaccine at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City. Victor Besa / The National
A woman is vaccinated against Covid-19 at Al Barsha Hall in Dubai. The UAE has the world's highest vaccination rate. Antonie Robertson / The National
A woman is vaccinated against Covid-19 at Al Barsha Hall in Dubai. The UAE has the world's highest vaccination rate. Antonie Robertson / The National
A billboard in Business Bay, Dubai, encouraging people to get vaccinated. Chris Whiteoak / The National.
A billboard in Business Bay, Dubai, encouraging people to get vaccinated. Chris Whiteoak / The National.
CNBG’s Sinopharm vaccine is 79 per cent effective, WHO said. Victor Besa / The National
CNBG’s Sinopharm vaccine is 79 per cent effective, WHO said. Victor Besa / The National
A man gets vaccinated at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City. Victor Besa / The National.
A man gets vaccinated at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City. Victor Besa / The National.
A new treatment against Covid-19 to reduce deaths and hospital admissions by up to 85 per cent has been approved in the UAE. The country aims to vaccinate all eligible adults by the end of 2021. EPA
A new treatment against Covid-19 to reduce deaths and hospital admissions by up to 85 per cent has been approved in the UAE. The country aims to vaccinate all eligible adults by the end of 2021. EPA
People wait to get their Covid-19 vaccine at the Seha Covid-19 vaccination centre at Dubai Parks and Resorts. Pawan Singh/The National
People wait to get their Covid-19 vaccine at the Seha Covid-19 vaccination centre at Dubai Parks and Resorts. Pawan Singh/The National

“The DoH and Rafed have been agile and passionate about accelerating patient access to promising new treatments to confront Covid-19.

“Our partnership with DoH and Rafed is holistic, securing early access to Sotrovimab so that the population in Abu Dhabi and UAE will be among the first in the world to get this new treatment.

“There is a great level of scientific and medical collaboration to ensure that medical teams are ready and equipped.

"We see this close co-operation as another sign of Abu Dhabi’s rapid development as a hub for first-class treatment, medicines research, logistics and manufacturing.”

The ministry's National Scientific Committee and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health have worked on the treatment protocols to guide doctors in defining at-risk patients.

It ensures such patients have access to Sotrovimab according to their risk profile and eligibility criteria.

“This medicine is at the forefront of pharmaceutical advancement and is a powerful tool in our fight to end this pandemic," said Dr Jamal Al Kaabi, undersecretary for the health department.

"We look forward to implementing the eligibility criteria for emergency use of Sotrovimab as part of Abu Dhabi’s commitment to lead an all-encompassing Covid-19 response in prevention, treatment and care."

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

UAE currency
What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.

Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.

Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.

When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety

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How to get exposure to gold

Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.

A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.

Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.

Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.

London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long

However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Stage 2

1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30

2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06

3.  Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06

4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06

5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Plastic tipping points
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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