Dubai team stops infant’s severe seizures with experimental treatment

A Dubai medical team ended an infant’s 110-daily-seizure crisis within 30 minutes of the first dose of an experimental epilepsy drug, after genetic testing identified the cause of the child’s rare condition. The case underscores how Dubai’s regulators and hospital system moved fast to secure compassionate-use access without sending the child abroad.

Why it matters: - The case shows how Dubai’s healthcare system can combine genetic testing, specialist care and regulatory coordination to reach rare-disease patients faster. - The treatment was delivered locally, avoiding the need for the infant to travel overseas for care. - The result adds to Dubai’s pitch as a precision-medicine hub for complex pediatric cases.

What happened: - A medical team at King’s College Hospital London – Dubai treated an infant named Adnan, who had been having about 110 seizures a day. - Adnan’s seizures stopped within 30 minutes of the first dose of ABS-1230 on 14 September 2026. - The infant was discharged from hospital on 21 September 2026. - Follow-up assessments through 11 October 2026 found no clinical seizures, and the hospital said Adnan continued to remain seizure-free. - The treatment developer said Adnan is the youngest patient in the world to receive ABS-1230 and only the second infant worldwide given the experimental medicine.

The details: - Adnan has an extremely rare genetic form of epilepsy. - The child had tried seven treatment approaches without an adequate response before the new therapy was found. - Whole-genome sequencing identified a disease-causing genetic variant and helped doctors target the biological mechanism linked to the condition. - Professor Ubaid Shah, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist at King’s College Hospital London – Dubai, led the medical team that identified ABS-1230 as a possible option. - ABS-1230 is an experimental oral treatment that targets abnormal activity in one of the ion channels associated with this rare epilepsy type. - The medicine remains under investigation in international clinical trials and is not approved for commercial use. - The hospital said the results from this single case cannot be generalized to other patients.

Between the lines: - The case highlights how compassionate-use pathways can move experimental therapies from regulatory review to bedside use when conventional treatment fails. - King’s College Hospital London – Dubai prepared the medical documentation needed for access. - The Emirates Drug Establishment reviewed the request and issued the relevant approval. - The Dubai Health Authority coordinated among the entities involved and helped complete the required procedures. - The collaboration brought the medication to Dubai within weeks of the request, after medical, ethical and regulatory approvals were completed. - Asma Al Sharif, CEO of the DHA Health Regulation Sector, said the case reflects Dubai’s focus on medical innovation and integration between federal and local authorities and the private sector. - Ahmad Alhumairi, Director of the Import and Export Department at the Emirates Drug Establishment, said the approval process supported access while maintaining safety standards. - Professor Ubaid Shah said the seizures stopped after the first dose and described the case as evidence of what precision medicine can achieve when treatment matches the genetic cause.

What's next: - Adnan will continue to be monitored for seizure control, growth and development. - The case may encourage more use of genetic testing and targeted therapies for other rare pediatric conditions in the UAE. - Dubai’s health regulators and hospitals are likely to point to the case as a model for future compassionate-use requests.

The bottom line: - Dubai’s ability to move an experimental drug from approval to treatment in weeks gave a critically ill infant access to a therapy that appears to have stopped severe seizures almost immediately.