The African Union (AU) Commission has urged African countries to intensify efforts toward the ratification of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty to ensure the harmonization of medical products across the continent.
The AU Commission’s latest call came after Chad on Saturday signed the treaty for the establishment of the African Medicine Agency (AMA), making it the 11th AU member to have signed the agreement since its adoption last February.
The 55-member pan-African bloc, in a statement issued late Saturday, stressed that the AMA, which is expected to enter into force once ratified by 15 AU members, “will serve as the continental regulatory body.”
“The Agency will provide leadership, to ensure that there are harmonized and strengthened regulatory systems, which govern the regulation of medicines and medical products on the African continent,” the statement said.
The AMA, once operational, will regulate the access to safe, effective, good quality and affordable essential medicines and health technologies, the statement said. Enditem
