Healthcare Regulatory Update: The United Arab Emirates

ABOUT HEALTHCARE 2
About the Strategic Pharmaceutical Analysis Team 2
1. Executive Summary 3
Strategic scoping and focus 3
Key findings 3
Related reports 4
Table of Contents 5
2. Overview of regulatory and commercial trends in the UAE 6
Key findings 6
Inequality of healthcare access and associated costs has led to reform in the UAE 7
High price of drugs in the UAE has contributed to high healthcare costs and inequality to access 7
The WHO medicine price survey confirms the high drug prices and the limited availability of generics in the UAE 8
General Sale List (GSL) items have seen rapid price increases between 2008 and 2009 impacting access to low-cost medicines 8
Reluctance of the MOH to approve branded drugs manufactured in neighboring countries limits cost saving potential 9
Generic manufacturers diversify along the value chain 10
Local generics manufacturers are transitioning towards innovative manufacturing 10
Local generics manufacturers have also been moving into distribution and retail 10
Overview of healthcare reforms in Abu Dhabi and Dubai 12
3. Regulatory update of healthcare reforms in Abu Dhabi 13
Key findings 13
Update of strategies to improve healthcare standards and access in Abu Dhabi 14
HAAD's proposed pro-generic regulatory interventions 15
Development of a positive formulary list for the basic health insurance policy 16
Diagnosis coding is expected to lead to the reduction of medical errors 16
Rational drug use program cuts down unnecessary prescribing 16
Compulsory prescription by molecular name 17
The HAAD has developed a number of strategies to limit future drug shortages 20
The Ministry of Health has fast-tracked approval for the manufacturing of vaccines locally for emergency use 21
The HAAD is expanding the Weqaya screening program to include follow up tests and mammograms 23
Implications of the introduction of the Thiqa program 26
Introduction of co-payments to the Thiqa program to prevent abuse 27
Standardization of healthcare pathways 28
Improving patient compliance 29
DAMAN to block reimbursement for inferior medical treatment 31
4. Regulatory update of healthcare reforms in Dubai 32
Key findings 32
Update of strategies to improve healthcare standards and access in Dubai 33
Expatriate private sector insurance reforms delayed, but public sector reforms enacted 34
The timelines for the implementation of the health insurance reforms in Dubai have been postponed 35
Sanofi-Aventis capitalizes on inequality in healthcare access in the UAE 36
Implementation of health insurance program for public sector employees 36
Launch of small-scale screening programs in Dubai 37
5. Bibliography 39
Contributing experts 39
Datamonitor reports 39
Publications and online articles 39
APPENDIX 42
Exchange rates 42
About Datamonitor 43
About Datamonitor Healthcare 43
Datamonitor consulting 43
Disclaimer 44
List of Tables
Table 1: Trends in public and private sector healthcare facilities, Abu Dhabi, 2007-08 26
Table 2: Summary of the Enaya insurance plan in Dubai 37
Table 3: Exchange rates, 2009 42
List of Figures
Figure 1: The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi's (HAAD) Unified Prescription Form 18
Figure 2: Impact of the HAAD's pro-generic reforms in February 2009 on consumption of brands in March 2009 in Abu Dhabi 19
Figure 3: Flow-chart showing reasons for drug unavailability in Abu Dhabi, 2009 20
Figure 4: The roll-out (Phase 1) and subsequent development of the Weqaya program in Abu Dhabi, 2008-09 23
Figure 5: The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi's (HAAD) Public Health Priority Matrix for Abu Dhabi, 2010 25
Figure 6: Access to healthcare for nationals and expatriates at public and private healthcare facilities in Dubai, 2009 35