Al-Ahram Establishment held another preparatory session in a Cairo hotel on Sunday ahead of the second edition of its pharmaceutical conference scheduled for 16-17 October. The annual conference will be held under the slogan "Egypt, a regional centre for drug manufacturing … localising drug industry." This conference will tackle the challenges facing Egypt on the path towards localising the drug industry and turning the country into a regional centre in this regard, said Abdel Mohsen Salama, chairman of Al-Ahram board of directors as he attended the session. The conference will also focus on the civilisational shift Egyptians have witnessed in this regard, Salama said, highlighting the importance of the drug industry, which affects the lives of many Egyptians and can even be considered a matter of national security. Salama affirmed the need to train Egyptian workers to use modern technology in order to enhance their industry and improve competitiveness. Attending the session, President of Ain Shams University and head of the conference Mahmoud El-Metini said proposed sessions during the conference include the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on pharmaceutical industries in Egypt. Proposed sessions also include pharmaceutical research and development and the need to bridge the gap between academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry. Sessions may also discuss local manufacturing of raw materials, preclinical and clinical studies in Egypt, bio-pharmaceuticals and the vaccine industry and the challenges facing the biosimilars industry. El-Metini said many of the recommendations of the conference's first edition have been implemented, calling for the formation of a subordinate committee to follow up on the implementation of the second edition's recommendations. Ashraf Hatem, head of the House of Representatives' health committee, affirmed the need to discuss the formulation of executive regulations for the clinical research law launched two years ago. Hatem, who is also a former health minister, said the conference will also discuss the role of the medical staff in elevating the drug industry in Egypt. Hossam Sadek, CEO of the Universal Health Insurance Authority, said the conference will include a session to define the difference between the comprehensive health insurance system and the health insurance authority. Yousri Nawar, chairman of the board and managing director at Pfizer, stressed the importance of internationalizing the Ahram Pharmaceutical Conference, highlighting Egypt's achievements in drug manufacturing to the world. Nawar said Egypt is currently witnessing an improved climate that could allow the country to become a regional centre for drug manufacturing. Al-Ahram organised and sponsored the first edition of the conference in 2019, prior to the pandemic outbreak. This year, the conference comes a year and a half after the pandemic's outbreak in the country and amid the state's steps to produce coronavirus vaccine to cover local needs and export the surplus to the African states.
