Egypt signed a collaboration on Wednesday with the American
pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly to manufacture analogue insulin for diabetes
in Egypt and to deliver a sustainable supply of insulin in low- to
middle-income countries, according to the Egyptian cabinet.
The American company will supply its active pharmaceutical ingredient API to Egypt’s EVA pharma to manufacture insulin at a significantly reduced price, the statement said.
Eli Lilly will also provide a technology transfer to enable EVA Pharma to formulate, fill and finish insulin vials and cartridges, setting up the company to be a trusted manufacturer of these lifesaving products in Africa.
According to the statement, EVA Pharma expects to begin distribution of the African-made insulin products within 18 months and to reach 1 million people per year by 2030.
In November, Egyptian Minister of Heath and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar announced that Egypt's Medical Union Pharmaceutical Company (MUP) was launching a new high-capacity production line for insulin, and that the country would begin exporting insulin to African countries as soon as it attains self-sufficiency.
Source: Ahram Online
