CAIRO, May 12 (MENA) - The Cabinet's media center highlighted via many infographics on social media the state's constant efforts to localize the pharmaceutical industry.

The move is part of tireless efforts to turn the state into a regional hub for producing pharmaceuticals, it said on Monday.

The state is adopting an ambitious vision to support this strategic industry in order to achieve self-sufficiency and scale up exports in this vital sector, according to the infographics.

Egypt is accelerating efforts to localize pharmaceutical manufacturing, aiming to boost self-sufficiency, cut medicine shortages, and expand drug exports, the Cabinet said.

Drug exports rose 65.6 per cent to $447.1 million in 2024 from $270 million in 2019, with products shipped to over 147 markets, including Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Germany.

According to Fitch Solutions, Egypt’s pharmaceutical exports are expected to grow 39 per cent over four years, reaching $466.5 million by 2029. It said the country’s emerging biomanufacturing base would strengthen the domestic market and attract foreign investment.

Egypt has also received international recognition for its regulatory framework. The World Health Organization (WHO) said Egypt had reached Maturity Level 3 for regulating medicines and vaccines, the highest in Africa.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention praised Egypt’s approach as a model for self-reliant drug production.

“Egypt has 179 pharmaceutical factories, producing human, herbal, veterinary, and biological drugs, along with raw materials. Local production meets 91.3 per cent of national demand, with 93 per cent supplied by the private sector. A strategic reserve of raw materials is maintained for at least three months, and medicine shortages have dropped by 97–98 per cent,” the Cabinet added.

The Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), established in 2019, has licensed 31 new factories and overseen the localization of 180 antibiotic products and 129 active ingredients that previously cost the country $633.7 million annually to import them, according to the media center. Efforts are also underway to localize 30 out of 280 inactive ingredients, which make up over 60 per cent of import volume, it said.

It highlighted that the country’s Gypto Pharma, launched in 2021 and billed as the region’s largest pharmaceutical complex, produces 100 million packs annually, with plans to reach 150–200 million by 2025. Its current exports stand at $2.5–3 million.

Private-sector players are also expanding output, it said. EIPICO, which accounts for a quarter of Egypt’s pharmaceutical exports, produces 330 million packs across 51 lines, it further said. Its new biosimilars plant, EIPICO 3, is 95 per cent complete and has drawn over $100 million in investment, it added.

It noted as well that Egypt’s VACSERA complex can produce 700 million vaccine doses annually.

AstraZeneca Egypt invested $50 million to boost its local capacity to 900 million tablets per year, the center said.

Meanwhile, it added, Egypt has localized production of insulin glargine and nearly all COVID-19 treatments, as well as 50 local alternatives to imported drugs, saving $182 million annually in import costs. (MENA)
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