♦ Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalifa Medical City has become the first hospital globally to administer ITVISMA, a one-time gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, marking a milestone in precision medicine. The treatment was delivered under the supervision of the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, following the UAE’s regulatory approval on November 25, making the country the second in the world after the United States to authorise the therapy.

♦ Developed by Novartis, ITVISMA targets the genetic root of spinal muscular atrophy by replacing the defective SMN1 gene, enabling the production of the survival motor neuron protein.