Abu Dhabi partners with Eli Lilly to tackle obesity and Alzheimer’s with AI

Abu Dhabi's Department of Health (DoH) has signed a memorandum of understanding with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly at the BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego. The agreement focuses on two conditions that health authorities in the region have flagged as growing public health concerns: obesity and Alzheimer's disease.

Under the deal, the two organisations will explore two concrete projects. The first is an AI-powered obesity care model. The second is a dedicated Alzheimer's Disease Centre of Excellence based in Abu Dhabi. Neither project has a confirmed launch date yet, but the MoU sets the formal groundwork for both.

The signing brings together one of the world's largest drug makers and a government health regulator that has spent years building out Abu Dhabi's data and genomics infrastructure. That combination of pharmaceutical expertise and population-level health data is what both sides say makes this partnership worth pursuing.

How will it work?

The MoU is a framework agreement, meaning the specific details of each project will be worked out over time. But the broad outlines are clear:

• AI-enabled obesity model: The plan is to use artificial intelligence alongside population health data to build a more personalised approach to obesity care, moving beyond one-size-fits-all treatment.
• Alzheimer's Centre of Excellence: Abu Dhabi would host a specialist centre focused on Alzheimer's research, diagnosis and treatment, drawing on the emirate's existing clinical infrastructure.

Leena Aziz, Eli Lilly's Senior Director for Corporate and Government Affairs in the Gulf, said the partnership aims to bring together AI, population health insights and clinical science to address both conditions. Dr. Asma Ibrahim Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Health Life Sciences Sector at DoH, pointed to Abu Dhabi's existing precision medicine capabilities, including population-scale genomics and advanced health data systems, as the foundation for the work.

Why does it matter?

Obesity rates across the Gulf have climbed sharply over the past two decades, driven by lifestyle changes, rapid urbanisation and diet shifts. The UAE is no exception. Alzheimer's, meanwhile, is a growing concern as the population ages, and specialist care for the condition remains limited across much of the Middle East.

For Eli Lilly, the timing is significant. The company has become one of the most talked-about names in pharma thanks to its GLP-1 drugs, including tirzepatide (Mounjaro), which are now used widely for both diabetes and obesity. Expanding its footprint in the Gulf through a government-backed partnership gives Lilly a direct line into a high-growth healthcare market.

For Abu Dhabi, the deal fits a broader push to position the emirate as a hub for life sciences and medical innovation, not just a consumer of treatments developed elsewhere.

The context

BIO International is one of the largest biotech and pharma conventions in the world, and it has become a regular venue for governments and companies to announce health partnerships. Abu Dhabi has signed several deals at similar events in recent years as part of its strategy to attract life sciences investment.

The emirate has built a significant health data infrastructure through programs like the Abu Dhabi Genome Programme, which has collected genomic data from tens of thousands of residents. That kind of population-level data is exactly what AI-driven healthcare models need to work effectively, and it is a genuine differentiator that Abu Dhabi can offer potential partners like Lilly.

Eli Lilly's broader pipeline also includes donanemab, an Alzheimer's treatment that received FDA approval in 2024. Whether that drug plays a role in the Abu Dhabi centre has not been confirmed, but it adds weight to why an Alzheimer's-focused collaboration with Lilly makes sense right now.