Zim signs AU Medicines Agency Treaty

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe has become the 19th African Union member state to sign the treaty to establish the African Medicines Agency (AMA), the continental body said on Thursday.

AMA will among other functions designate, promote, strengthen, coordinate and monitor regional centres of regulatory excellence with a view to strengthen the capacity of AU countries to regulate medicines and related products, provide regulatory guidance, and harmonise medical regulation efforts across the continent.

The agency will coordinate and collaborate on the inspection of drug manufacturing sites, including the regulatory oversight and safety monitoring of medical products.

It will also promote cooperation, partnership and recognition of regulatory decisions, in support of regional structures and National Medicines Regulatory Authorities that takes into account mobilization of financial and technical resources to ensure sustainability of the AMA.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Amira Elfadil Mohammed underscored the importance of establishing AMA to improve the production and harmonization of pharmaceutical products on the continent.

“The Covid-19 pandemic is an opportunity to accelerate establishment of AMA,” she said, noting that its creation would help bridge the gap in the continent’s pharmaceutical industries.

Zimbabwean ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, Taonga Mushayavanhu said AMA was critical in synchronizing pharmaceutical systems and establishing a mechanism of controlling proliferation of counterfeit medicines on the continent.

He said Zimbabwe would soon ratify the AMA Treaty.

African Heads of State adopted the AMA Treaty on 16 March 2021. The treaty will come into force once it has been ratified by a minimum of 15 member states, with only six having done so to date.
New Ziana