Eli Lilly Drugstore LLC and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 29 June 2026 at the BIO International Convention in San Diego, aiming to tackle obesity and Alzheimer’s disease across the Emirate.
Joint task force to design AI‑enabled obesity care
The first workstream creates a joint task force that will co‑design an AI‑enabled obesity and cardiometabolic care model. The effort will draw on Abu Dhabi’s population‑scale health data and Lilly’s experience in metabolic disease.
Risk stratification and individualized interventions are central to the plan. By analysing large data sets, the model hopes to identify high‑risk individuals earlier than current practice.
Dr. Asma Ibrahim Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Health Life Sciences Sector at the DoH, said, “Abu Dhabi has established one of the world’s most advanced ecosystems for precision medicine, built on population‑scale genomics, advanced health data and clinical excellence. This collaboration with Lilly strengthens our ability to translate these capabilities into more personalised approaches to obesity and Alzheimer’s disease, improving outcomes for patients across the Emirate and beyond.”
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Alzheimer’s Disease Centre of Excellence
The second workstream focuses on an Alzheimer’s Disease Centre of Excellence. It builds on an existing partnership between the two parties in neurodegenerative research.
Key objectives include earlier detection through digital cognitive screening, biomarker‑based diagnosis, and coordinated care pathways that span the disease continuum.
Leena Aziz, Senior Director, Corporate and Government Affairs Gulf at Lilly, commented, “Together, we are advancing a model of care that brings together AI, population health insights, clinical excellence and breakthrough science to address two of the region’s most urgent health challenges: obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Access to disease‑modifying therapies will be part of the centre’s offering, pending regulatory approvals.
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Population health data as a foundation
Both workstreams rely heavily on Abu Dhabi’s health information infrastructure.
One cautious observation: while the AI components promise efficiency, real‑world integration often encounters technical and cultural hurdles. If the models prove accurate in pilot phases, scaling them across the health system could still require substantial investment in training and IT support.
Both initiatives align with Abu Dhabi’s broader ambition to become a hub for life‑science research. By combining local data assets with global pharmaceutical expertise, this collaboration seeks to generate solutions that could be exported to other regions facing similar health challenges.
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