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Is Casgevy available in the UAE? Status, route and cost

A plain answer for families in the UAE, checked against FDA, regulator and manufacturer sources on 17 October 2026.

Reviewed by the Reserve Meds clinical operations team on 17 October 2026.

Is Casgevy available in the UAE?

Yes. The Abu Dhabi Department of Health said in March 2025 that the Emirates Drug Establishment had authorized Casgevy. It is a one-time gene-edited therapy for sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, given only at qualified centers. Your specialist refers the patient, and the center confirms eligibility and funding. No import request is normally needed.

Registration: Authorized in the UAE: the Abu Dhabi Department of Health said in March 2025 that the Emirates Drug Establishment had granted marketing authorisation, and it has an active code in the Abu Dhabi DoH drug code list.
Access route: Referral to a qualified treatment center in the UAE (registered, so no import request is normally needed).
Who acts: your treating specialist refers the patient; the treatment center accepts the patient and confirms funding.
Timeline: We give you a written timeline estimate for your case before you commit.
Medicine price: quote on request. Every case gets a written custom quote before you commit.

Status in the UAE, with dates

On 28 March 2025, the Abu Dhabi Department of Health and the Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center (ADSCC) announced Casgevy as the first CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing therapy in the UAE, for patients 12 and older. DoH said the Emirates Drug Establishment had granted market authorisation and that the treatment is included in insurance coverage under established regulations. (source)
DoH said the first patient was scheduled to start treatment at Yas Clinic Hospital in April 2025. (source)
Casgevy has an active code (O27-D357-17620-01) in the Abu Dhabi DoH drug code list, release of 26 September 2026. (source)

What Casgevy is

Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel) is made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The US FDA approved Casgevy on 8 December 2023 for sickle cell disease and on 16 January 2024 for transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, for people 12 and older. On 1 July 2026 the FDA extended its use to patients 2 years and older.

How it is given: The patient's own blood stem cells are collected, edited in a lab using CRISPR/Cas9, and given back as a one-time infusion after high-dose chemotherapy (conditioning). This happens at an authorized treatment center and needs a hospital stay. The chemotherapy before the infusion carries serious risks that the treating team will explain.

How access works in the UAE

Because Casgevy is registered, the usual route is through a qualified treatment center in the UAE. Your specialist sends a referral with the medical records, the center checks eligibility, and the family confirms funding with the center, an insurer or a government program.

If no local center can treat the patient, for example because of eligibility, center capacity or an age outside the local label, your specialist can refer the patient to a qualified center abroad. A named-patient import is meant for medicines that are not registered, so it is not the usual route here.

Public lists can lag behind decisions, so the treating center or hospital pharmacy confirms the current status before treatment is planned.

Who does what

Your treating specialist decides whether Casgevy is right for the patient and writes the referral or prescription.
The hospital or treatment center checks eligibility, plans treatment and is responsible for giving it safely.
The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) registers medicines and decides on any import request for a medicine that is not registered.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals makes Casgevy and decides where it can be supplied.
Reserve Meds helps your family understand the steps, organizes records and communication, and, where an import is needed, arranges US supply through our licensed wholesale partner. We do not give medical advice.

Documents you will usually need

Genetic or laboratory confirmation of sickle cell disease or beta thalassemia, and a record of pain crises or transfusions
A referral letter from the treating specialist with the diagnosis, past treatments and why this treatment is being considered
Recent clinic notes, imaging and laboratory results
Identity documents and a funding plan (personal funds, insurer approval or a government treatment decision)
Passport and travel documents, if treatment happens abroad

Steps

Referral. Your specialist prepares a referral letter and the medical records.
Center review. A qualified treatment center reviews the records and decides whether the patient is eligible.
Funding. The family confirms funding with the center, an insurer or a government program.
Preparation. The center runs tests and, for cell-based products, collects cells to make the treatment.
Treatment and follow-up. The patient is treated and then followed up by the center and the home specialist.

Timeline and cost

We give you a written timeline estimate for your case before you commit. The treating center, the regulator and the manufacturer set their own timelines.

Medicine price: quote on request. Your total cost depends on the dose, travel or shipping, import steps and coordination. Your coordination fee is quoted in writing for your case before you commit. No hidden charges.

How Reserve Meds helps

Reserve Meds is a digital health company. Medicines are supplied through a US-licensed pharmaceutical wholesale partner. We coordinate access to FDA-approved medicines only. We help your family understand the route, organize records and communication with the hospital or center, and, where an import is approved, arrange US supply and shipping. We do not prescribe, and we do not decide what the regulator or a treatment center approves.

Ask about Casgevy in the UAE

Tell us the medicine, your country and a WhatsApp or phone number. We reply within one business day. On WhatsApp we usually reply the same day.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai

This guide covers the whole UAE, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai. At federal level, medicines are regulated by the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). MOHAP also issues permits to import medicines for personal use. Hospitals, clinics and doctors are licensed by the health authority of their own emirate: the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH) in Abu Dhabi, and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in Dubai.

In practice, the hospital that treats you follows the rules of its own emirate, so the paperwork is prepared for that hospital. Tell us which hospital or doctor is treating you, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or another emirate, and we prepare the document pack for that route.

Sources: Department of Health Abu Dhabi; Dubai Health Authority, Health Regulation Sector; MOHAP, permit to import medicines for personal use; Simmons & Simmons, UAE pharmaceutical law and the Emirates Drug Establishment.

Frequently asked questions

Is Casgevy registered in the UAE?

Yes. The Abu Dhabi Department of Health said in March 2025 that the Emirates Drug Establishment had authorized Casgevy. The Abu Dhabi list covers coded products in that emirate. Ask the hospital pharmacy to confirm the current status with EDE and, for Abu Dhabi or Dubai hospitals, with DoH or DHA.

How do patients in the UAE get Casgevy?

It is a one-time gene-edited therapy for sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, given only at qualified centers. Your specialist refers the patient, and the center confirms eligibility and funding. No import request is normally needed.

How long does it take to get Casgevy in the UAE?

We give you a written timeline estimate for your case before you commit. The treating center, the regulator and the manufacturer set their own timelines, and we tell you honestly what depends on them.

How much does Casgevy cost?

Medicine price: quote on request. Your total cost, including any travel, shipping, import steps and coordination, is quoted in writing for your case before you commit. No hidden charges.

Can Casgevy be given in the UAE instead of abroad?

Yes, if a qualified center in the UAE accepts the patient. Ask your specialist which centers offer it today.

Sources

Checked on 17 October 2026. Regulator rules and lists change. Your hospital pharmacy or treatment center confirms the current position before anything is filed.