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X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH): US-approved treatments and how Gulf families can access them

A plain guide for families in the Gulf, checked against US FDA labels, Gulf drug registers and published medical research.

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

X-linked hypophosphatemia: the short answer

The US FDA has approved one medicine on this page for X-linked hypophosphatemia, each for specific patients. One of them is on at least one Gulf register we checked, so ask your hospital about local supply first. Otherwise the hospital can request a named-patient import. Reserve Meds is a digital health company. We do not diagnose or prescribe.

  • US FDA-approved medicines on this page: Crysvita.
  • Gulf registration (checked 17 October 2026): see each medicine below.
  • Legal route: Local supply where listed; otherwise a named-patient import request filed by the treating hospital.
  • Price: Quote on request.

What is X-linked hypophosphatemia?

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) causes low levels of phosphate in the blood. Phosphate is essential for healthy bones and teeth, so bones can weaken or soften, causing rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.[1]

Severely affected children grow slowly and often develop bowed legs and bone deformities that impair movement and cause pain. Adults may have painful stress fractures, calcium deposits near joints and osteoarthritis. Hearing loss and dental abscesses can also occur.[1]

XLH is caused by changes in the PHEX gene. Conventional treatment uses oral phosphate and active vitamin D. In the US, an antibody that blocks FGF23 is approved for XLH in patients 6 months and older.[2, 3]

X-linked hypophosphatemia in the Gulf

A case series of 14 XLH patients from the GCC countries reported that conventional therapy failed to improve rickets and caused side effects such as nephrocalcinosis, while the 10 patients treated with burosumab showed marked improvement in blood phosphate after 12 months.[2]

US FDA-approved medicines for X-linked hypophosphatemia

Each medicine below is approved in the US for a specific group of patients. The wording summarizes the current US label. Your specialist decides whether any of them is right for the patient.

  • Crysvita (burosumab)
    FDA-approved for X-linked hypophosphatemia in adults and children 6 months and older, and some cases of tumor-induced osteomalacia. It is an injection under the skin.[3]
    Gulf registers: Saudi Arabia: listed in the SFDA drugs list. Abu Dhabi: has an active code in the Abu Dhabi DoH drug code list. Checked 17 October 2026. UAE federal status, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman: not verified in a public register.[4, 5]
    Country guides: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, India, Pakistan

How families in the Gulf can access these medicines

If the medicine is listed in your country. Ask your specialist and the hospital pharmacy about local supply first. A listing does not mean every hospital stocks the medicine, and another brand of the same medicine may also be registered, but local supply is usually the fastest route and you may not need us.

If it is not registered. The usual legal route is a named-patient request: the treating hospital, on your specialist's written request, asks the national regulator for permission to import the medicine for one patient, using the US FDA approval as the reference. In Saudi Arabia the SFDA Special Access Program guidance covers these requests; in Bahrain, NHRA Circular 41 of 2020 sets the procedure. Other Gulf countries have their own procedures, which the hospital pharmacy confirms.[6, 7] Once approval is in place, Reserve Meds arranges supply through a US-licensed pharmaceutical wholesale partner to the hospital pharmacy.

Who does what

  • Your treating specialist decides whether a medicine is right for the patient and writes the letter.
  • The hospital checks local supply, files any import request, and gives the treatment safely.
  • The national regulator decides whether to approve the import of a medicine that is not registered.
  • The manufacturer decides where its medicine can be supplied, especially for cell and gene therapies.
  • Reserve Meds helps organize records, coordinates US supply through our wholesale partner, shipping and updates to your family. We do not give medical advice.

Documents you will usually need

  • A letter from the treating specialist with the diagnosis, past treatments and why the medicine is being considered
  • Reports that confirm the diagnosis, such as laboratory, genetic, imaging or pathology results, translated into English where needed
  • Recent clinic notes and a list of current medicines
  • For a hospital import request: the prescription, the hospital's request form and the written consent of the patient or guardian
  • Proof of the US FDA approval and the US prescribing information (we can supply these)

We give you a written timeline estimate once we see the hospital file. The regulator, the treatment center and the manufacturer set their own timelines.

What treatment costs

Quote on request. Your total cost depends on the medicine, the dose, 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 help your doctor and hospital prepare the file, arrange US supply and temperature-controlled shipping once approval is in place, and keep your family updated. We coordinate access to FDA-approved medicines only. Investigational medicines are only available through a manufacturer's expanded-access program requested by the treating physician; we can explain that route, but we do not supply them.

Ask us about treatment for X-linked hypophosphatemia

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.

Include the country code, for example +966 or +971.
Message us on WhatsApp

No account needed. We reply within one business day. Your coordination fee is quoted in writing for your case before you commit. No hidden charges.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an FDA-approved treatment for X-linked hypophosphatemia?

Yes. The medicine on this page has US FDA approval for specific groups of patients: Crysvita. The exact conditions are in each US label and are summarized above. Your specialist decides whether any of them fits.

Is Crysvita available in Saudi Arabia or the UAE?

Saudi Arabia: listed in the SFDA drugs list. Abu Dhabi: has an active code in the Abu Dhabi DoH drug code list. Checked 17 October 2026. UAE federal status, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman: not verified in a public register. A listing in Abu Dhabi does not show federal UAE status.

How can a family in the Gulf get Crysvita?

Ask the treating hospital about local supply first. If it is not available, the hospital can file a named-patient import request with the national regulator on your specialist's written request. Once approved, we arrange US supply to the hospital pharmacy.

How much does treatment cost?

Quote on request. Your total cost, including the medicine, shipping, import steps and coordination, is quoted in writing for your case before you commit. No hidden charges.

Is XLH the same as rickets from low vitamin D?

No. XLH is a genetic phosphate disorder caused by PHEX gene changes, so standard vitamin D alone does not fix it.

What did Gulf patients experience on burosumab?

In the GCC case series, 10 patients treated with burosumab had marked improvement in blood phosphate and other bone markers at 12 months.

Sources for the last two answers: [2, 1] [2]

Sources

Checked on 17 October 2026. Labels, registers and regulator rules change. Your hospital pharmacy confirms the current position before filing.

  1. MedlinePlus Genetics (US National Library of Medicine): X-linked hypophosphatemia
  2. Al-Juraibah et al. Experience of X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: case series. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab Case Rep 2024 (PubMed 38614130)
  3. DailyMed (US National Library of Medicine): Crysvita (burosumab) US prescribing information, version published 3 July 2026
  4. SFDA: Drugs List, public register (all 9,173 entries checked by brand name on 17 October 2026)
  5. Department of Health Abu Dhabi: drug code list Drugs.xlsx (release 26 September 2026, effective 2 October 2026)
  6. SFDA: Special Access Program (SAP) guidance, version 1.0
  7. NHRA Bahrain: Circular No. (41) of 2020, procedures for importing non-registered medicines and pharmaceutical products

Related

This page is general health information, not medical advice. It does not replace a consultation with your doctor.

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