Egypt's Health Minister attends EDA board meeting

CAIRO - 7 July 2026: Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, attended the 17th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) to discuss a package of strategic files and regulatory decisions aimed at supporting the pharmaceutical sector and strengthening Egypt's regulatory and production capabilities.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Mohamed Farid, Minister of Industry Khaled Hashem via video conference, Presidential Adviser for Health and Prevention Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag el Dein, Chairman of the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement Hisham Stait, Chairman of the General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation Ahmed Taha, and President of the Egyptian Medical Association and former health minister Adel el Adawy.

The board reviewed key indicators of Egypt's pharmaceutical market and plans to expand domestic production, with a particular focus on localizing the manufacture of biopharmaceutical products to strengthen drug security and achieve greater self-sufficiency.

The meeting discussed the establishment of a specialized unit for the safe handling of laboratory waste in line with the highest environmental standards, as well as the preparation of a regulatory inspection manual for raw material manufacturing facilities to unify oversight procedures and ensure compliance with good manufacturing practices.

Board members further discussed mechanisms for reviewing drug pricing decisions to strike a balance between ensuring the availability of medicines at fair prices and maintaining the sustainability of the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

They also approved the authority's final accounts for the 2025/2026 fiscal year and reviewed international funding allocations and participation.

Abdel Ghaffar stressed that localizing the production of biopharmaceuticals and increasing domestic manufacturing constitute a cornerstone of Egypt's health security strategy, reaffirming the state's full support for national pharmaceutical companies and efforts to remove obstacles facing investors.

He underscored the importance of empowering human resources and supporting researchers to keep pace with global developments in inspection, regulation and pharmaceutical innovation.

For his part, Farid said that localizing pharmaceutical industriesis among the government's top investment priorities, with emphasis on technology transfer, deepening local manufacturing and boosting exports.

Hashem said the pharmaceutical and medical industries are among the key pillars of Egypt's Industry Strategy 2030, helping reduce imports, create jobs and position Egypt as a regional manufacturing and export hub.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority Ali El Ghamrawy said the authority gives top priority to ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products.