HERMS · INSIGHTS

Healthcare and Life Sciences Execution Intelligence for the UAE

UAE healthcare and life sciences · Published 13 November 2026 · HERMS Consultancy DMCC

Discover the HERMS life sciences platform and our regulatory affairs expertise.

How companies, investors and ventures move from approval to patient access across ADIO, Hub71, Mubadala, DoH Abu Dhabi, DHA, SEHA/PureHealth and DIFC

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Executive summary

The UAE is building two healthcare and life sciences hubs at once, in Abu Dhabi and in Dubai. Each has its own regulator, investors and delivery networks. Companies that enter either hub, whether pharmaceutical, medical device, cosmetics, herbal, nutraceutical, medical nutrition or animal health, face the same problem. Their decisions are spread across disconnected functions and institutions. HERMS DIP is built to govern that execution layer. This paper maps the seven institutions that shape the UAE environment.

1. ADIO: Abu Dhabi Investment Office

The Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) cluster was developed by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, ADIO and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. It is projected to contribute $25.6 billion to Abu Dhabi's GDP and unlock 30,000 new jobs by 2045. Investors entering through HELM still have to turn an investment into approved, priced and supplied products.

Official reference: Abu Dhabi Media Office — HELM launch.

2. Hub71

Hub71+ Life Sciences gives founders direct access to Abu Dhabi's medical innovation sector. It launched in strategic alignment with DoH, the Emirates Drug Establishment and HELM. Hub71 is backed by the Government of Abu Dhabi and Mubadala Investment Company. Ventures arriving here must still plan registration, pricing, tenders and supply across the GCC.

Official reference: Abu Dhabi Media Office — Hub71+ Life Sciences.

3. Mubadala

Mubadala invests on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government and continues to expand in healthcare and life sciences. It launched Mubadala Bio to strengthen domestic drug manufacturing. Portfolio companies that scale from the UAE into regional markets need consistent, auditable execution across each market.

Official reference: Mubadala — Mubadala Bio.

4. DoH: Department of Health – Abu Dhabi

DoH is the regulator of the health sector in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Its published policies include one on the use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector. AI-enabled tools used in Abu Dhabi therefore need governed, traceable and auditable decision logic.

Official reference: Department of Health — Policies.

5. DHA: Dubai Health Authority

DHA is the unified regulator for the emirate of Dubai, including healthcare facilities in free zones. Its remit includes regulating medical education, clinical research and trials. Dubai Health delivers care, while DHA remains the regulatory authority. Companies must manage requirements that differ by emirate and cannot assume that a licence in one emirate is valid in another.

Official reference: Dubai Health Authority — Health regulation.

6. SEHA and PureHealth

SEHA is a subsidiary of PureHealth. PureHealth's supply arm Rafed (merged into the group in 2021) handles centralised procurement of pharmaceuticals, equipment, diagnostics and consumables. Suppliers dealing with large provider networks need tender, procurement and evidence readiness before they engage.

Official reference: PureHealth — Integrated annual report 2025.

Procurement information: Rafed — Healthcare procurement.

7. DIFC: Dubai International Financial Centre

The DIFC Innovation Hub connects technology businesses with licensing, workspaces, accelerators, corporate partners and investors. Healthcare facilities in free zones such as DIFC fall under DHA regulation. Health-technology ventures there combine financial-centre licensing with healthcare oversight.

Official reference: DIFC — AI, FinTech and innovation firms.

The common execution gap

Success in these markets depends on local judgment that is rarely written down: how queries are answered, how cycle times behave, how pricing and tender outcomes unfold. This judgment sits across regulatory, market access, supply, safety, quality, compliance and marketing teams. Global platforms systematise regulated work. HERMS systematises the local judgment needed to execute it.

What HERMS contributes

Experience: more than 28 years of healthcare and life sciences execution across the Middle East, Africa and emerging markets. HERMS Consultancy DMCC is Dubai-based and was formed in 2013.
Platform: 25 software solutions in 9 clusters. Regulatory affairs and market access are two of the nine.
Pilots: five working pilot builds are ready to demonstrate. HERMS proposes testing them on a partner's own documents before any deployment.
Data control: the client chooses where its data resides.

Explore HERMS regulatory affairs expertise, integrated life sciences solutions, and domain-specific AI models.

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HERMS is not affiliated with or endorsed by any institution named in this paper. Institutional descriptions come from public sources.

Sources and further reading

Public institutional sources reviewed on 13 November 2026. Execution implications and recommendations are HERMS analysis.

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