DUBAI, 27th August, 2026 (WAM) — The 31st edition of the Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technologies Conference and Exhibition – DUPHAT 2026 concluded successfully today at Dubai World Trade Centre, marking three days of high-level discussions, scientific exchange and industry engagement.
The event recorded approximately AED10.3 billion in direct and indirect trade deals over the three days, further highlighting its role as a leading platform for advancing the pharmaceutical sector and fostering business opportunities.
The event brought together leading experts, healthcare professionals, researchers and decision-makers from across the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors to explore the future of pharmacy and the evolving role of pharmacists amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence, precision medicine and biotechnology.
Discussions also focused on medication safety, pharmacy education, research and stronger collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem, with an emphasis on transforming scientific knowledge and technological innovation into practical solutions that improve patient outcomes and strengthen healthcare delivery.
Amb. Prof. Abdulsalam AlMadani Chairman of DUPHAT and DUPHAT International Scientific Council (DISC) Roving Ambassador of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) for the GCC Region, said, “DUPHAT 2026 once again demonstrated the strength and growth potential of the pharmaceutical sector, bringing together leading experts, healthcare professionals, researchers, industry leaders and decision-makers from around the world to exchange knowledge, explore emerging technologies and build meaningful partnerships.
The significant trade deals recorded during the edition reflect growing confidence in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global hub for business, innovation and scientific collaboration, in line with the UAE’s vision to advance healthcare and foster a more innovative and sustainable health ecosystem.
Ultimately, DUPHAT’s success goes beyond numbers. Its greatest impact lies in turning knowledge into action, innovation into impact, and collaboration into sustainable progress in healthcare.”
He added, “As the pharmaceutical sector enters a new era shaped by artificial intelligence, precision medicine, biotechnology and digital transformation, we must ensure that these advances remain firmly centred on patient needs, safety and better health outcomes.
DUPHAT 2026 has provided an important platform for dialogue, and the recommendations emerging from the conference will contribute to shaping a more innovative, responsible and patient-centred future for pharmacy.”
Dr Farida Alkhaja, Chair of the Scientific Committee of DUPHAT 2026, said the most important message emerging from the conference was that “the future of pharmacy will not be defined by what we know, but by what we do with what we know.”
She highlighted the UAE’s strong combination of scientific expertise, technology, talent and experience, noting that these strengths position the pharmacy profession to play an increasingly influential role in shaping the future of healthcare.
She emphasised that the success of a congress should not be measured only by the knowledge exchanged during its sessions, but by its ability to turn dialogue into action and inspire a continued commitment to putting patients first, advancing research, using technology responsibly and preparing the next generation of pharmacists.
DUPHAT 2026 concluded with a series of key recommendations focused on strengthening the role of pharmacists in the future of healthcare. At the forefront was the call to move from AI adoption to responsible AI leadership, with pharmacists encouraged to become informed leaders in the implementation and use of artificial intelligence.
This includes strengthening AI literacy within pharmacy education, ensuring responsible clinical implementation, promoting data and digital ethics, maintaining appropriate human oversight, evaluating AI-supported clinical decisions, integrating AI into research and education, and protecting patient privacy.
The conference stressed that the objective should not simply be “AI in pharmacy,” but rather “better pharmacy through the responsible use of AI.”
The recommendations also called for making patient outcomes the ultimate measure of healthcare innovation. New technologies and solutions should increasingly be evaluated according to their ability to deliver better outcomes, greater safety, improved access to care and appropriate value.
The central question, the conference emphasised, should always be: “Does this innovation make care better for the patient?”
DUPHAT 2026 also highlighted the need to make medication safety a core element of healthcare innovation, particularly as healthcare systems become increasingly complex and technology-enabled.
Future medication-safety systems should integrate pharmacovigilance, digital reporting, signal detection, clinical decision support, high-alert medication strategies, antimicrobial stewardship and continuous professional education.
The conference underscored a clear principle: innovation should never outpace safety.
Another key recommendation focused on preparing pharmacists for precision and personalised healthcare. Pharmacy education and practice should increasingly equip pharmacists with knowledge and skills in pharmacogenomics, precision medicine, personalised pharmacotherapy, biomarker-informed treatment and emerging biotechnology.
This will ensure that pharmacists are prepared not only for the medicines of today, but also for the increasingly personalised therapies of tomorrow.
DUPHAT 2026 further called for pharmacy education to be redesigned around the needs of the future, with four complementary areas of competence identified as essential: scientific, clinical, leadership and digital competence.
These capabilities will enable pharmacists to maintain strong pharmaceutical and clinical knowledge, make evidence-based decisions, lead change within healthcare systems, and work effectively with AI, data and emerging technologies.
The conference also emphasised the importance of stronger collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem, bringing together pharmacists, physicians, nurses, researchers, industry, technology companies, academia, regulators and patients. Such collaboration, participants noted, will be essential to translating scientific progress and technological innovation into sustainable improvements in healthcare.
As DUPHAT 2026 concluded, the conference reaffirmed that science provides knowledge, innovation creates possibilities, technology delivers new capabilities, and leadership gives them direction — while the patient gives them meaning.
The closing message called on the pharmacy community not to wait for the future, but to actively build it by transforming knowledge into action and innovation into impact.
Ultimately, every step forward in pharmacy should contribute to safer patients, healthier communities and a better future for healthcare.
The Scientific Committee concluded the 31st edition by thanking participants for their contribution and trust, while looking ahead to DUPHAT 2027 and continued collaboration to advance the future of pharmacy and pharmaceutical technologies.
The Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technologies Conference and Exhibition – DUPHAT 2026 is officially supported by Emirates Drug Establishment and Dubai Health Authority and is organised by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions org., a member of INDEX Holding, Supporting partners of DUPHAT are the American Pharmacists Association, European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP), European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences EUFEPS, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), European Society of Oncology Pharmacy ESOP, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical toxicology IATDMCT.
Source: Emirates News Agency