Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed orders all costs paid for virus cases treated with breakthrough UAE medication

UAE stem cell centre developed promising aerosol treatment for Covid-19 patients

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has ordered that the treatment of severe coronavirus cases using a UAE-developed stem cell treatment be paid for. Rashed Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has ordered that all costs be covered for any critical coronavirus cases treated using a breakthrough stem cell medication.

The initiative of the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces comes after the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre announced the development of an innovative treatment for Covid-19 infections using stem cells.

The new treatment was administered to 73 coronavirus patients in the UAE, with all successfully recovering from the virus. However, it does not kill the virus on its own.

The treatment has been given to patients alongside more conventional medical support and will continue to be applied alongside established treatment protocols rather than as a replacement.

The ADSCC says the newly developed therapy is a supportive treatment that enables coronavirus patients to overcome the symptoms of the virus by themselves. It involves taking a blood sample from the patient with the therapy used to activate these cells so that they can get inhaled back into the lungs.

It is understood that the treatment works by regenerating lung cells and modulating the immune response to keep it from overreacting to the Covid-19 infection and causing further damage to healthy cells.

The ADSCC wants to encourage further medical research to develop a Covid-19 treatment by utilising human and technical capabilities, providing necessary technology and facilitating its use in hospitals across the UAE.