Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, held an expanded meeting on Monday with representatives of relevant state bodies to discuss ways to support and empower pharmaceutical manufacturers and to draft a comprehensive policy framework aimed at boosting local production and localising biopharmaceutical and biological products, the Ministry of Health said.
The meeting comes in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to strengthen the localisation of medicines and medical supplies manufacturing and to increase investment in the pharmaceutical sector, according to the ministry.
Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said discussions focused on preparing an actionable policy paper outlining the practical requirements for developing the pharmaceutical industry. Talks centred on enabling manufacturers, encouraging domestic investment, and introducing new investment packages targeting medicines, vaccines, and biotechnology industries.
Participants also reviewed how best to leverage existing investment incentives to support the sector, as well as potential state measures to attract further investment and enhance the competitiveness of local manufacturers, the statement added.
The minister stressed the importance of adopting practical and implementable steps, including studying the establishment of a specialised committee to support vaccine localisation and organising a dedicated conference to showcase investment incentives and localisation mechanisms. He also emphasised the need to strengthen public-private partnerships to accelerate sector development.
The meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Health, the Unified Procurement Authority, the Egyptian Drug Authority, and the Egyptian Company for the Production of Vaccines, Sera and Drugs (VACSERA), in addition to representatives of relevant industry chambers.
