Al-Ghamrawy's release came during a press conference, where he provided detailed insights into the current state of the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt and the measures being taken to address the shortage.

Al-Ghamrawy disclosed that Egypt currently has 15,000 priced and registered drugs. Despite this, monitoring has revealed complaints regarding the shortage of 81 types of drugs, all of which have equivalents and alternatives available in the market.

To address this issue, the authority has introduced a new availability service designed to ensure that citizens can access the medications they need and assist in identifying drugs that are in shortage.

Patients can enter the required drug’s name through an electronic system, and it will display available equivalents and alternatives. The authority will then take necessary measures to ensure the provision of the specified drug, Al-Ghamrawy explained.

“We receive about 1,000 calls daily inquiring about drugs, which prompted us to create this service,” Al-Ghamrawy said. 

The authority has also adopted a horizontal distribution system for medicines, which aims to distribute drugs more efficiently across various pharmacies. This system is intended to prevent the accumulation of medicines in a limited number of pharmacies, ensuring wider availability. 

Notably, Al-Ghamrawy mentioned that diabetes medications will soon be available in large quantities.

Following the change in the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound (EGP) in March, the authority was compelled to raise drug prices due to the increased cost of imported raw materials purchased in US dollars (USD).

The percentage increase in drug prices varies based on the specific raw materials used in their production, Al-Ghamrawy added.

For his side, Head of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Committee at the Egyptian Pharmacists Syndicate Mahfouz Ramzy supported the need for price adjustments, emphasizing that this price increase is in the public's interest.

He attributed this increase to the substantial rise in the USD exchange rate against EGP, from 30 to 48.

Ramzy stated that the planned increase in prices for medications treating chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, would not exceed 25 to 30 percent.

In addition, he highlighted the Egyptian Drug Authority’s progress towards obtaining international accreditations from the World Health Organization (WHO).

These accreditations will enable Egypt to export medicines to African countries, achieving self-sufficiency in hard currency worth between three and four billion USD.

He pointed out that Egypt imports raw materials worth four billion USD annually from abroad in hard currency, stressing that the authority wants to equalize the trade balance between exports and imports.

Ramzy reassured citizens of the availability of medicines in the future, urging everyone to purchase only the medications they need.

Since 6 March, when the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) applied a new wave of local currency devaluation against the USD, the EGP lost about 55 percent of its value against the USD. 

In recent months, Egypt has faced a significant medicine shortage, with some citizens, especially those with chronic diseases, struggling to find the medicines they need.

Despite a strategic reserve of pharmaceuticals, the Egyptian market is experiencing a severe shortage of diabetes and blood pressure medications, essential in nearly every household, along with many other disease medications.