Egypt becomes member of African Medicines Agency

Egypt has signed up to the African Medicines Agency (AMA) treaty, Health Minister Hala Zayed said yesterday.

The AMA aims to unify medical regulations among African countries, and improve access to medicines. The treaty came into force in March of last year, after 15 countries signed up.

This could help facilitate Egyptian vaccine exports to the rest of the continent. Egypt hopes to produce as many as 80 mn doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine by the end of the year, and could soon have an agreement in place to locally manufacture the Oxford / AstraZeneca shot.