Al-Ahram Foundation held its second preparatory session for its second annual conference for medicine under the title...Egypt is a regional center for the drug industry...Localizing the drug industry, in the presence of Abdel Mohsen Salama, Chairman of Al-Ahram Board of Directors, Maged Mounir, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Evening and Al-Ahram Gate, and Ezzat Ibrahim, Editor-in-Chief Al-Ahram Weekly and Al-Ahram English website, Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University and President of the Conference, Dr. Ashraf Hatem, Head of the Health Committee in the House of Representatives, Dr. Ayman El-Khatib, Vice President of the Medicines Authority, Dr. Hossam Sadek, CEO of the Comprehensive Health Insurance Authority, and Ali Auf, Head of the Pharmaceutical Trade Division Saeed Ghoneim, General Manager of Al-Ahram Foundation, Dr. Ahmed Amer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Ahram Drug Company, Haitham Salima, Director of Al-Ahram Drug Company, Howaida Youssef, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Weekly and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the conference, in addition to the presence of a large number of directors of relevant bodies, and chairmen of boards of directors of companies Global and local medicines and their representatives, including a representative of the Egyptian Medicine City, and the heads of companies: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Viatris, Janssen, Takeda, Novartis, Merck, Bayer, and Parkville, Sandoz, Amgen, Pioneer, Eva Pharma, and the Pharmaceutical Holding Company.

Abdel Mohsen Salama, Chairman of the Al-Ahram Board of Directors, explained that the Foundation’s second drug conference coincides with the renaissance and civilizational shift that Egypt is witnessing at all levels and inclusive of all aspects of life in Egypt, pointing to the importance of the drug sector in Egypt and the extent of its relationship with the citizen primarily, pointing out that it is an issue of national security. By all standards, this conference was therefore launched to discuss all challenges on the ground in order to pave all ways to localize the pharmaceutical industry and make Egypt a regional center, stressing the need to train Egyptian cadres on modern technology to enhance the industry and improve competitiveness.

For his part, Dr. Mahmoud El-Matini, President of Ain Shams University and President of the Conference presented a set of proposed sessions after an in-depth study through a committee formed by specialists at Ain Shams University headed by the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy. The proposed sessions included the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the pharmaceutical industries in Egypt, and research pharmaceutical development and taking tangible steps towards bridging the gap between academia and the pharmaceutical industry, local manufacturing of raw materials, preclinical and clinical studies in Egypt... Challenges and opportunities, biopharmaceuticals and the vaccine industry, challenges of the biosimilar industry and its registration in Egypt compared to the global situation, and Egyptian pharmaceutical exports .. facts and challenges, there are some notes on the clinical research law.

He pointed out that the recommendations of the first drug conference of the "Al-Ahram Foundation" have been verified and will be announced at the forefront of the second conference on October 16 and 17, during the conference sessions, pointing to the need to form a small committee to follow up on the recommendations of the second conference and the extent of their implementation. He also talked about the need for cooperation. And participation with the Egyptian Medicine City as a national project that achieves the localization of the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Ashraf Hatem, Professor of Chest Diseases, Chairman of the Health Committee in the House of Representatives, and the former Minister of Health pointed to the importance of discussing the executive regulations of the Clinical Research Law, which was launched two years ago and its executive regulations were not issued, and the role of the health team each to make the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt an important industry, in addition to the role of the team. Health care, pharmacists, pharmacy education and raising the status of doctors and chemists to benefit from their expertise later for the same purpose.

Dr. Hisham Al-Ghazali, Professor of Oncology and Head of the Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, said that there is a lack of integration with regard to scientific research, stressing the need to build a network between all research centers in Egypt to exchange information in a scientific way... and to market the research that is being studied.