India, Egypt to partner for pharma trade, research, regulatory cooperation

Senior officials from India and Egypt have held one round of talks and will meet again later this month at a conference, as India seeks to use Egypt as a gateway to North Africa for pharmaceutical exports and Egypt seeks to leverage Indian businesses to strengthen its API industry and domestic drug production.

Officials from the two countries recently met to discuss pharmaceutical trade, regulatory collaboration, AYUSH, and pharmaceutical education and research partnerships. To move further, India's pharmaceutical department has requested views from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), and the Ministry of AYUSH. It was decided at the first meeting of the India-Egypt Joint Working Group in March that India will share its best practices in pharmaceutical commerce, AYUSH, pharma research, regulatory cooperation, education, and investment. An official said that the overall partnership is good to India in terms of relicense and diversifying its global supply networks.

 The Egyptian mission was led by Dr. Sondos Mohamed Moshtohry, International Cooperation Officer-Chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), while the Indian delegation was led by senior officials from the department of pharmaceuticals and its important partners.

India was Egypt's fifth-largest trading partner from April to September 2021. During the same period, it was the largest buyer of Egyptian goods and the seventh-largest exporter to Egypt.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.