How to access Fintepla from the UAE — the named-patient import pathway, 2026
By Reserve Meds · Clinical & regulatory team · Last reviewed 2026-04-23
A UAE family of a child with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) may receive a prescription for Fintepla (fenfluramine oral solution) from their treating paediatric neurologist. Fintepla is FDA-approved, manufactured by UCB (following Zogenix), and is indicated for seizures associated with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in patients aged 2 years and older. Dravet syndrome is a severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy typically driven by SCN1A pathogenic variants, while LGS is a severe childhood-onset epilepsy syndrome with a heterogeneous aetiology. In the UAE, Fintepla is not locally registered, which is why your paediatric neurologist will navigate the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) named-patient import pathway on your behalf.
This guide explains the legal pathway, what documentation your physician needs, typical timing and cost bands, and where Reserve Meds fits in.
The clinical situation
Fintepla is an oral solution taken twice daily, dosed by weight and titrated over several weeks. Eligibility for the Dravet indication is based on clinical diagnosis (often supported by SCN1A genetic confirmation); for LGS, diagnosis is made on clinical and EEG criteria. Fintepla carries a risk of valvular heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension and is supplied via a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) programme in the US, which includes mandatory baseline and periodic echocardiogram surveillance. Treatment requires a paediatric neurologist familiar with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, with ongoing seizure diary tracking and paediatric-cardiology echocardiogram coordination. Because Fintepla is oral, in-country administration is straightforward once the prescribing plan and echocardiogram-surveillance arrangement are in place.
Is Fintepla legally importable into the UAE?
Yes — through the MoHAP named-patient import framework. Parallel authority operates in Abu Dhabi through the Department of Health (DoH) and in Dubai through the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), depending on where the prescribing facility is located.
The named-patient mechanism allows a UAE-licensed physician to import a medicine not locally registered when: (a) the medicine is approved by a recognised reference authority such as the US FDA, (b) no clinically equivalent locally registered alternative is available, (c) the physician takes clinical responsibility, and (d) chain of custody is documented end to end. Given the REMS-equivalent cardiac-surveillance requirement, the physician's plan must include a UAE-based paediatric-cardiology arrangement for baseline and periodic echocardiograms.
How the pathway works, step by step
- Consultation with your paediatric neurologist. Clinical diagnosis of Dravet syndrome or LGS, with genetic testing where relevant (SCN1A for Dravet), seizure history, and current antiseizure regimen documented.
- Baseline cardiac assessment. A UAE-based paediatric cardiologist performs a baseline echocardiogram before initiation and documents the surveillance schedule.
- MoHAP named-patient application. Your physician or the hospital pharmacy files the application with clinical rationale, cardiac-surveillance plan, patient reference, and chain-of-custody plan.
- US-side sourcing. Reserve Meds coordinates with our US-licensed specialty wholesale partner to secure Fintepla from UCB's authorised distribution channel.
- Shipment. Fintepla ships with chain-of-custody documentation to the treating hospital pharmacy.
- Arrival, dispensing, and cardiac surveillance. The hospital pharmacy releases the bottle with dosing and titration instructions; paediatric cardiology schedules follow-up echocardiograms per the surveillance plan.
What documentation your physician needs
Your physician will typically need to provide:
- A clinical rationale letter confirming Dravet syndrome or LGS diagnosis, supporting genetic/EEG evidence, baseline seizure profile, current antiseizure regimen, and Fintepla as the indicated treatment
- Verification of their UAE medical licence
- A copy of the genetic and/or EEG diagnostic report
- A paediatric-cardiology echocardiogram-surveillance plan with named cardiologist and cadence
- Patient identifier (anonymised reference where possible)
- An administration and monitoring plan including weight-based dosing, titration schedule, and seizure-diary cadence
Reserve Meds provides a physician documentation kit that bundles the templates MoHAP (or DoH/DHA) reviewers expect to see for rare-paediatric-neurology named-patient imports, with particular attention to the cardiac-surveillance documentation central to Fintepla safety.
Costs and timing
Fintepla is weight-dependent in dosing, so annual cost scales with the child's body weight. Indicative 2026 US cash-pay annual cost sits in a broad range of roughly USD 100,000–200,000 depending on weight. International logistics, MoHAP documentation handling, cardiac-surveillance coordination, and concierge fees add incremental cost. Reserve Meds issues a full transparent quote at the start of intake.
Indicative timing — not guaranteed — for first dispense after cohort intake opens is approximately 14–28 days from the moment a complete MoHAP application is submitted and the baseline echocardiogram is documented. Refills ship on a rolling basis against the monthly dispensing schedule and align with the echocardiogram-surveillance calendar.
Reserve Meds is in pre-launch. Fulfilment availability is limited to our first cohort, and all timelines published on this site are indicative. If your clinical situation is time-sensitive, flag that when you join the waitlist — we triage accordingly.
A culturally-aware note: the UAE's paediatric-epilepsy community includes Emirati and expatriate families served through tertiary centres in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. Families often travel internationally for second opinions and keep concurrent relationships with specialists abroad. Our concierge coordination recognises that cross-border continuity and supports it: our case lead coordinates refills, UAE-based echocardiogram cadence, and documentation handoffs with any international neurology team the family maintains.
Reserve Meds's role
Reserve Meds is a US-based concierge coordinator for cross-border specialty medicine. For Fintepla specifically, we provide:
- Sourcing. Through our US-licensed specialty wholesale partner, operating under DSCSA chain-of-custody.
- Documentation. Regulatory package for your physician and for MoHAP (or DoH/DHA) review, including the cardiac-surveillance plan required for Fintepla.
- Logistics. Chain-of-custody shipment coordination to your prescribing hospital pharmacy, aligned with echocardiogram cadence.
- Concierge case lead. A named point of contact for the family, coordinating long-term refills, weight-based dose adjustments, and cardiac-surveillance diarising.
What we do not do: we are not the prescriber, we do not practise medicine, we are not the dispensing pharmacy, and we do not perform echocardiograms. All clinical decisions remain with your treating paediatric neurologist and paediatric cardiologist. We operate on a waitlist basis during our pre-launch phase.
Frequently asked
Is this legal in the UAE? Yes, when executed through the MoHAP (or DoH/DHA) named-patient framework with appropriate documentation including the cardiac-surveillance plan. See our trust and compliance page.
Is Fintepla a cure? No. Fintepla reduces seizure frequency in Dravet syndrome and LGS. Pivotal study data show meaningful reductions in convulsive seizure frequency for many patients. Your paediatric neurologist will discuss realistic outcome expectations.
What is the cardiac-surveillance requirement? Fintepla carries risk of valvular heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension, so baseline and periodic echocardiograms are mandatory. Your paediatric cardiologist manages the cadence.
Does Fintepla replace existing antiseizure medications? Typically no — Fintepla is added to an existing regimen under specialist supervision, with adjustment of other agents as the neurologist decides.
Will insurance cover this? Cash-pay is the default. Some UAE insurers consider rare-paediatric-neurology imports case by case; we supply documentation for submission but do not process insurance claims directly.
Next step — join the first-cohort waitlist
Reserve Meds is opening to a limited first cohort in 2026. Add your case to the waitlist and our concierge case lead will reach out when we are ready to enter intake for Fintepla coordination in the UAE.
Add me to the Fintepla waitlistComposite case examples. Reserve Meds is in pre-launch. This content is for general information and does not constitute medical advice.
Clinical & regulatory review: Reserve Meds clinical team and AI regulatory-counsel review pipeline. Last medically reviewed: 2026-04-23.