A child’s seizures silenced: how Dubai’s healthcare system brought an experimental treatment home

When an infant in Dubai began experiencing over a hundred seizures daily from an exceptionally rare genetic form of epilepsy, a coordinated effort between federal and local health authorities made an experimental medication available locally within weeks. The result: seizures ceased within thirty minutes of the first dose.

An infant named Adnan, born in Dubai with an extraordinarily rare genetic form of epilepsy, has become the youngest patient in the world to receive an experimental treatment called ABS-1230. His story speaks to something quietly remarkable about Dubai’s healthcare ecosystem: the ability to move swiftly, thoughtfully and collaboratively when a child’s life depends on it.

From his earliest days, Adnan’s condition was severe. The seizures began within days of birth and intensified despite seven different treatment approaches. By the time his medical team considered experimental options, he was experiencing approximately 110 seizures a day. Conventional anti-seizure medicines, the standard first line of defence, had failed to provide the response his family desperately needed.

The turning point came through precision medicine. Whole-genome sequencing identified the genetic variant causing his condition, revealing a defect in one of the ion channels associated with this rare type of epilepsy. With the cause identified, the medical team at King’s College Hospital London – Dubai, led by Professor Ubaid Shah, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist, could pursue a targeted approach. ABS-1230, an experimental oral treatment developed to address precisely this biological mechanism, emerged as a possibility.

What followed was a masterclass in institutional coordination. King’s College Hospital London – Dubai prepared the necessary medical documentation. The Emirates Drug Establishment assessed the application for compassionate use access. The Dubai Health Authority orchestrated the efforts among all entities involved. Asma Al Sharif, CEO of the Health Regulation Sector at the Dubai Health Authority, describes this collaboration as placing patients at the centre of healthcare development whilst enabling medical innovation and expanding access to advanced treatments. Within weeks, following completion of all necessary medical, ethical and regulatory approvals, the medication arrived in Dubai.

On 14 September 2026, Adnan received his first dose. Within thirty minutes, his seizures stopped. He was discharged on 21 September and has remained seizure-free through follow-up assessments extending into October and beyond, with his medical team also observing encouraging progress in his growth and development.

The case reflects Dubai’s growing capabilities in precision medicine and exemplifies how advanced digital health systems and diagnostic capabilities can converge to serve individual patients with rare and complex conditions. Professor Shah speaks of Dubai’s “spirit of action,” noting that a child born in the emirate did not require travel to London, Boston or Sydney to access this advanced treatment. The treatment came to him.

The collaboration also demonstrates the integration between federal and local authorities with the private sector that characterises the UAE’s healthcare approach. Ahmad Alhumairi, Director of the Import and Export Department at the Emirates Drug Establishment, emphasises the Establishment’s role in making promising treatments available for exceptional cases whilst maintaining rigorous safety standards and approved controls.

Professor Shah remains appropriately cautious. Results from a single patient cannot be generalised to others, he emphasises. The experimental treatment remains under investigation in international clinical trials and has not yet received commercial approval. His team continues close monitoring of Adnan’s neurological condition, brain electrical activity, cardiac health, growth and development. The durability of the response and any potential effects of the experimental treatment require sustained evaluation.

Yet the broader significance is clear. The case underscores the importance of early genetic diagnosis in rare neurological disorders and demonstrates how collaboration between healthcare providers and regulatory authorities enables patients to access emerging treatments. It reinforces Dubai’s position as a global destination for advanced healthcare, where scientific innovation, specialist expertise and regulatory responsiveness converge around the needs of individual patients.

Source: WAM