Egypt Localises 208 Medicines & Reports 91% Self-Sufficiency
Egypt has 179 human drug factories, 150 medical supply factories, and 86,000 licensed pharmacies; a national drug tracking system is planned, with raw materials stocked for up to 7 months.
The Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) announced that domestic production now covers around 208 medicines, meeting 91% of the country’s medicine needs through local manufacturing.
Dr Ali Al Ghamrawy, head of the authority, noted that the share of locally produced oncology medicines has risen from 47% to 64%. He added that under Egypt’s Vision 2030, efforts continue to localise advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and reduce the country’s import bill, with self-sufficiency expected to reach 94% in the coming years.
Dr Al Ghamrawy highlighted initiatives aimed at stabilising medicine supplies and transferring advanced manufacturing technology, including in biological products and plasma derivatives. Egypt currently has 179 factories producing human medicines, 11 of which are accredited by international reference organisations, along with 150 factories for medical supplies, 4 biologics plants, and 5 facilities producing active pharmaceutical ingredients.
The sector also comprises roughly 1,600 licensed medicine warehouses and distributors and 86,000 licensed pharmacies. Annual output is estimated at 3.7 to 4 billion medicine packs, making Egypt the largest market in the Middle East and Africa by number of packs.
