Launch of the East African Community (EAC) Medicines Registration Harmonization (MRH) Project

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Midrand, South Africa, 19 March 2012 – The NEPAD Agency, on behalf of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) Programme partners - the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, UK Department for International Development (DfID), and Clinton Health Access Initiative, will launch the East African Community (EAC) Medicines Registration Harmonization (MRH) Project on the morning of 30 March 2012 at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania. 

The EAC MRH Project will promote the harmonization of medicines registration in the region, which is a key contributor to public health and leads to rapid access to good quality, safe and effective medicines for priority diseases.

Essential medicines save lives and improve health when they are available, affordable, of assured quality and used rationally. However, lack of access to essential medicines remains one of the most serious global public health problems. Africa’s regions have similar health and technological challenges and relatively low levels of investment in health research, drug discovery and pharmaceutical development, compared to other continents.

Countries in Africa are struggling to produce, procure and make safe and essential medicines available to their populations. This is mainly because of limited budgets, lack of adequate infrastructure and human resources and a range of regulatory barriers including weak and/or absent medicines legislation and legal frameworks.

According to the NEPAD Agency CEO, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, “The regulation of medicines and harmonization of technical standards and legislative frameworks have emerged as important components of the regional economic integration efforts”.

The launch of the EAC MRH Project marks the beginning of the implementation phase of the AMRH Programme across Africa. Moreover, it is also a milestone reached towards improving access to essential medicines for priority diseases in Africa.   

Speakers including Ministers, high-level representatives from the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Agency, EAC Officials, representatives of EAC National Medicines Regulatory Authorities (NMRAs), regional pharmaceutical associations, international organizations and donors will grace this event.

Prior to the launch, a stakeholders’ technical consultation will be held on the morning of 29 March and the inaugural meeting of the AMRH Programme Advisory Committee will take place on 30 March at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, testifying to the accomplishment of another key milestone of the AMRH Programme.

After a series of rigorous consultations with RECS, NMRAs and industry, AMRH partners have successfully finalized and secured funding for the EAC MRH Project. In addition, proposals for SADC and ECOWAS regions are at an advanced stage for donor consideration.

About AMRH 

The AMRH Programme assists African countries and regions to respond to the challenges arising in harmonizing medicines regulations as an important, but neglected area of access to medicines. It seeks to support African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and countries in harmonizing medicines regulations and is mobilising interested donors and other stakeholders that can contribute to the programme objectives with the requisite support.

The AMRH Programme was initiated at a NEPAD and Pan-African Parliament (PAP) consultation meeting in February 2009, which was hosted in collaboration with a consortium of partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). 

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For more information on the AMRH Programme, contact:

Mrs. Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda, AMRH Programme Coordinator

Email: mnsigonda@nepadst.org, Tel: +27 12 841 2980

For Media contact NEPAD Communications: Mr. Robert Muyanga, Tel: + 27 11 256 3615 and Email: robertm@nepad.org

About the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency

The NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency/NPCA) as the technical body of the African Union (www.africa-union.org), works closely with the African Union Commission (AUC), Regional Economic Communities, national governments, civil society and the private sector to push for programmes and projects that focus on improving the lives of the African people. The NEPAD Agency is the leading African development expert, able to mobilise the private sector, heads of state and African people as a force for positive change, building continental prosperity and regional integration.

For more information on NEPAD Agency, please visit www.nepad.org

For more information on the AMRH Programme please visit www.amrh.org