African Union Special Envoy for the African Medicine Agency (AMA) Michel Sidibé praised on Monday Egypt’s pivotal role -as an African country- in producing pharmaceuticals and vaccines, stressing the importance of unifying the African countries’ efforts in local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Addressing a press conference in the presence of Health Minister Hala Zayed, Sidibé said Egypt’s joining of AMA will greatly benefit the African continent, noting the agency will be a great edifice seeking to achieve self-sufficiency in medicines and vaccines in Africa.
The global pharmaceutical industry is worth $1,400 billion annually with Africa’s stake standing at only 0.7%, he said.
The African envoy valued Egypt’s efforts in locally producing the coronavirus vaccines.
Meantime, Zayed lauded Sidibé’s efforts to complete the AMA Treaty and ratify it by February 2022, welcoming his visit to Egypt.
Sidibé will visit VACSERA factories here to get acquainted with the Egyptian experience in producing vaccines, the Egyptian Drug Authority and Egypt’s pharmaceutical city.
The Treaty for the Establishment of the African Medicines Agency was adopted by the AU in February 2019. It requires 15 ratifications from AU member states to come into effect.
Establishing AMA is meant to improve medical capacity in the continent, address a deficiency in drug production and challenges posed by counterfeit and substandard products. Once it is created, it is expected that the AMA will supervise and absorb roles currently carried out by other bodies, such as regional harmonization efforts and pan-AU creations such as the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) initiative and the African Vaccines Regulatory Forum (AVAREF).
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