The Ethiopian Health Ministry has suspended the importation of pharmaceuticals from 11 Egyptian manufacturers following a visit to Egypt that indicated the factories did not meet Ethiopian health standards.
A delegation from the Ethiopian Ministry inspected 13 companies and found that in 11 cases, prescribed rules were not being applied to the production of pharmaceuticals.
The result of the inspection has severe implications for Egyptian companies that rely on exports, said the head of Export Council for Medical Industries, Maged George. He indicated that most of the companies are not solely reliant on Ethiopian trade, exporting to 15 countries in total.
A committee has been formed, including members of the export council and the companies affected by the decision, in order to collect data on the Ethiopian market, medicines that are in demand, and the manufacturers currently operating there, George said.
An urgent meeting will be held soon with the Ethiopian ambassador to Cairo to tackle the crisis and find solutions for the penalized companies.
The exports council, according to George, is mulling establishing a holding company to establish pharmaceuticals factories outside Egypt, or to place offices abroad to market the Egyptian pharmaceutical industry.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
