New Covid Drug Sotrovimab: Abu Dhabi First To Get

Sotrovimab, a recently discovered anti-viral drug treatment for Covid, is currently available in Abu Dhabi. Since the earliest shipment of the medicine arrived at the Abu Dhabi airport recently, it is the first place to ever receive it in the world. 

Who Is Behind This New Covid Drug?

Sotrovimab was the result of a legendary agreement among the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, the UAE’s top group purchasing organization (GPO) Rafed, and the international pioneering biopharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) conducted a national assessment following the USA Food and Drug Agency Emergency use authorization before making final decisions.

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Human Medicinal Products provided an optimistic scientific opinion regarding Sotrovimab. GlaxoSmithKline resultantly sends in an application for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the US Food and Drug Administration and the UAE MoHAP.

Rafed, which is based in Abu Dhabi, is in charge of the obtainment, storage, and supply of Sotrovimab. This will be done through the Rafed Distribution Centre which is the biggest specialized cold-storage service center in the zone. This facility, which comes under the Hope Consortium, came into being through the combined efforts of workers in healthcare, logistics, and distribution. This Centre was created to develop Abu Dhabi’s healthcare and medical sector to fight the pandemic effectively.

Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group and Hope Consortium, was responsible for carrying the first shipment of the medicine into the UAE, thereby making use of its IATA CEIV-certified PharmaLife product.

More About Sotrovimab 

Sotrovimab can only be used for treating certain specific categories of Covid-19 patients who are eligible according to the required criteria. This includes all adults and children over 12 who are heading towards a more severe case of Covid-19. These criteria have been determined by the National Scientific Committee. 

It is a monoclonal antibody treatment administered through intravenous therapy. According to research, the Covid drug has been successful in preventing hospitalization and death in 85% of early selected treatment cases. It has also been discovered to be effective against all the variants of Covid that are known to exist at the moment.

Dr. Jamal Mohamed Kaabi, Undersecretary for the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, said, “Abu Dhabi continues in its efforts to maintain its number one city position globally in terms of resilience and safety in Covid-19 times. This medicine is at the forefront of pharmaceutical advancement and is a powerful tool in our fight to end this pandemic.”

The involved parties plan to make the medicine available as soon as June and July so that UAE residents suffering from Covid have the earliest access to the new treatment. They have been creating protocols for the therapy so that doctors can determine the risk profile and eligibility criteria of different patients. According to the CEO of Rafed, Rashed Al Qubaisi, the new Covid drug is a revolutionary discovery in the battle against the Coronavirus.