Morocco has opened a new Precision Medicine Hub in Rabat to improve the diagnosis and care of people living with rare diseases.
The facility was launched by the Fondation Mohammed VI des Sciences et de la Santé (FM6SS) in partnership with AstraZeneca at the Complexe Hospitalier Universitaire International Mohammed VI, marking International Rare Disease Day.
The hub aims to cut diagnostic delays, improve coordination between specialists and introduce wider use of genomic and molecular testing in routine care.
Although each rare disease affects a small number of people, together they impact thousands of patients in Morocco. Many face long and complex paths to diagnosis, limited access to specialised tests and fragmented treatment.
Officials say the new structure is intended as a coordinated national response. It will organise multidisciplinary care pathways and expand access to genomic and molecular profiling.
The launch event in Rabat brought together institutional representatives and patient associations, including the Société Marocaine de Génétique Médicale and the Alliance Marocaine des Maladies Rares.
The hub builds on a memorandum of understanding signed in July 2025 between FM6SS and AstraZeneca to establish a Rare Diseases Centre of Excellence.
That planned centre aims to standardise care pathways across the country, create patient registries, generate real-world data, strengthen training for health professionals and support research.
Amine Sekhri, Country Director of AstraZeneca, said the opening was “a concrete step” towards a national Centre of Excellence dedicated to rare diseases, with wider access to advanced genomic testing and more integrated care models.
Professor Saber Boutayeb, Director General of the Mohammed VI Centre for Research and Innovation under FM6SS, said the hub would help deliver “faster, expert and more equitable” care.
Organisers said the project reflects growing cooperation between public institutions, healthcare professionals, industry and patient groups to close gaps in rare disease care and develop precision medicine in Morocco.
