Africa’s first continent-wide medical regulator launched, part of wide-ranging efforts to build up local pharmaceutical capacity and reduce dependence on foreign agencies and companies.
Africa lacks effective medical regulation: Only nine out of 55 African Union countries have regulatory systems that meet WHO standards, Nature reported. The African Medicines Agency will ensure that once a treatment is approved in one African country, it can be recognized across others, and aims to boost research: Only 3% of clinical trials take place in Africa, meaning that treatments may not be effective for African populations.
Boosting the continent’s medical and research self-sufficiency is a key development goal: South Africa this week began trials of the first locally developed vaccine in 50 years.