Bristol Myers Squibb, the Emirates Thalassemia Society and Dubai Science Park staged the sixth edition of the “Help Save a Life” blood donation drive in Dubai this month, an initiative that has become a fixture of the pharmaceutical company’s regional corporate citizenship portfolio and a recurring investment in the UAE’s healthcare supply chain.
The drive, announced from Dubai on Oct. 5, 2026, forms part of Bristol Myers Squibb’s annual Global Patient Week, a company-wide program of patient-centered activities. For the pharmaceutical giant, the event converts corporate social responsibility into direct operational support for patients with chronic blood disorders, particularly thalassemia, whose treatment depends on a steady, reliable flow of donated blood.
Dubai Science Park, the region’s leading science-focused hub and one of TECOM Group PJSC’s 10 business districts, provided the platform for the collaboration. Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Senior Vice President of Dubai Science Park, part of TECOM Group, framed the park’s role as an enabler of partnerships across its community of healthcare and life sciences organisations and professionals. “Our collaboration with the Emirates Thalassemia Society and Bristol Myers Squibb for the sixth edition of the ‘Help Save a Life’ blood donation drive reflects our commitment to supporting initiatives that contribute to health and wellbeing in the UAE,” he said.
The hub’s involvement fits its broader commercial positioning. Home to more than 6,500 professionals and operating for over two decades, Dubai Science Park has built a purpose-built ecosystem of LEED-certified labs, Grade-A offices and storage and logistics spaces, alongside industry networking platforms such as The DSP Leadership Network. Hosting events like the donation drive reinforces its offer to tenants: a venue where science businesses can deliver measurable community impact.
For Bristol Myers Squibb, the initiative carries both reputational and operational weight. Mayada Al Ahmad, General Manager of Bristol Myers Squibb, GCC Countries, said the company’s patient-first mission was put into direct action by marking the sixth year of the drive during Global Patient Week. “A consistent, reliable blood supply is essential to supporting patients living with thalassemia and other blood disorders, ensuring they have access to the care they need when it matters most,” she said. She added that the company was deeply grateful to its partners and to community members whose generosity delivers tangible support and renewed hope to families across the UAE.
Meanwhile, the Emirates Thalassemia Society, the non-profit partner at the center of the effort, has been building this kind of community infrastructure since its establishment on October 10, 1997 by families of patients. A public benefit organization and member of the Thalassemia International Federation since 1997, the Society provides medical, social and financial support to those affected, and works on prevention through health awareness campaigns and premarital screening advocacy.
Her Highness Sheikha Sheikha Bint Saif Al Nahyan, Chairperson of the Society, described the partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb as evidence of the impact of collective social responsibility. “Blood donors are quiet heroes in our community, playing an indispensable role in the daily lives of individuals and families managing thalassemia,” she said. “By showing up consistently year after year, our community proves that we can lighten the burden for patients in need.”
The economics are straightforward. For patients managing chronic blood disorders, routine transfusions are essential lifelines that allow them to live full and active lives, and sustaining the local blood supply depends on mobilizing donors year after year. The timing of the drive, on the eve of Blood Cancer Awareness Month in October, underlined the constant demand for community health initiatives supporting patients with blood conditions.
For the three partners, the sixth edition consolidates a long-running collaboration that links a global pharmaceutical operator, a specialist non-profit and a science-focused business hub around a shared asset: the UAE’s blood supply. Whether the model can scale further across the region’s healthcare networks remains an open question for the partners heading into a seventh year.