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Saturday, 15 February, 2025
HomeNews UpdateNo nod yet from South Africa for African Medicines Agency Treaty

No nod yet from South Africa for African Medicines Agency Treaty

South Africa has yet to sign the African Medicines Agency (AMA) treaty, which is dedicated to improving access to quality and safe medical products across the continent, and which has already been signed by a number of neighbouring countries.

Health Policy Watch reports that with key Malawian key stakeholders having already given the nod for that country to ratify the treaty, this brings to eight the number of of African counties that have signed the agreement, after Kenya’s signature in February.

Chimwemwe Chamdimba, head of Programmes for Africa Medicines Regulation Harmonisation (AMRH), said Kenya’s signing was an important milestone for the continent and the agency.

“This is an exciting time as we see the first-ever continental medicines agency coming into being. This will ensure African people access to quality-assured medical products and promote the pharmaceutical sector growth across the continent,” she said.

Chamdimba said African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) is providing technical support for countries to ratify the treaty and also operationalise it.

“We have developed guidance notes and briefs and also developed an overarching AMA Country Engagement Strategy we are currently updating to provide support to countries.”

Economies of scale

After Kenya’s signing, some 35 of the AU’s 55 member states have now come out formally to support the treaty – either by signing it, ratifying it, or both. That makes Malawi one of just 20 countries not yet signed.

Dr Evelyn Gitau, director of research and related capacity strengthening at the African Population and Health Research (APHRC), said Africa needs economies of scale to grow its pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and for it to become sustainable.

“We have been relying on imports, been engaged in outbreak or pandemic response. No global market has grown without industry protection, usually in the form of tariffs or other barriers protecting domestic manufacturing. Africa can’t get away with this. It needs to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area. There is need for internal continental mobilisation to leverage the population as part of reaching scale,” she said.

Maziko Matemba, executive director for the Health and Rights Education Programme, said the AMA would enable Malawi to build skills and expertise, including the manufacturing of medicines.

“Drug shortages have been a major issue in Malawi. Once the AMA is established, it may provide bargaining power,” he said.

There is no deadline for countries to ratify the treaty of the AMA, Chamdimba said, but countries should do so as soon as possible to benefit from its services.

The treaty, a legal instrument for establishing a regional medicines agency on this continent, as reported by MedicalBrief in October, was adopted by the African Union Assembly in 2019 and formally established in November 2021.

It will be hosted by Rwanda and its purpose will be to improve oversight over the quality, safety and efficacy of medical products taken by Africans, drive investment in research and development of medical products, and enable the scale-up of vaccine production on the continent.

The AMA will be key to the integration of African manufacturing into the global pharmaceutical value chain, an important step for improving global pandemic preparedness.

A minimum of 15 member states need to ratify it in their national parliaments for it to come into force. So far 33 of 55 member states have aligned with it.

 

Health Policy Watch article – Following Kenya, Malawi Appears Ready to Ratify the African Medicines Agency Treaty (Open access)

 

See more from MedicalBriefs archives:

 

Why Africa urgently needs a continental medicines regulator

 

SA Cabinet approves signing of African Medicines Agency Treaty

 

Need to strengthen Africa's medicines regulatory systems

 

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