By Olaleke ASHAFA
African countries should support and advocate for a treaty establishing African Medicines Agency to safeguard health of African people, experts and policymakers said on Monday in Rwanda.
African health ministers adopted the draft treaty for the establishment of a single continental body African Medicines Agency for the regulation of medicines and medical products at the 71st Session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May, according to the AU.
AU said once finalised, the treaty would be presented to AU Heads of State and Governments for endorsement in January 2019.
“It is now for African countries to push the initiative further and make it a reality,” said Rwandan Minister of Health, Diane Gashumba, at the launch of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation initiative week.
“The establishment of African Medicines Agency would save the continent from challenges of dealing with sub-standard pharmaceutical products in Africa,” she said.
“Sub-standard and counterfeit drugs continue to flood African markets causing health hazards,” said Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda, Head of Health Programmes at the AU New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
NEPAD is the pan-African strategic framework for the socio-economic development of the continent.
“It’s for our own good as Africans to establish African Medicines Agency as a continental regulatory agency that will help address this challenge,” said the NEPAD official.
“Setting up a regulatory body that would oversee the regulation of medicines and medical products on the continent, both manufactured and imported is key to improve health access and delivery in Africa,” she said.
The African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation initiative was created by NEPAD to assist African countries and regions to respond to the challenges posed by medicines registration.
The initiative seeks to highlight the current status of the African medicines regulatory harmonisation and review its strategy.
