Dr. Ali El-Ghamrawy, Chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), held a meeting with a delegation from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) of Singapore, led by Professor Raymond Chua, Chief Executive Officer of the HSA. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 2025 International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) Summit, held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The meeting included extensive discussions on areas of technical and regulatory cooperation, during which both sides exchanged insights and expertise in pharmacovigilance, market surveillance, clinical trials, laboratory testing, and medical device regulation. The two authorities also explored the possibility of launching joint training programs and field visits for staff from both sides to learn about best regulatory practices applied in Singapore and Egypt.
Both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening scientific and technical cooperation in building effective systems for continuous monitoring and evaluation of the quality and safety of medicines, particularly in light of the rapid global transformations in the pharmaceutical industry.
The discussion also addressed ways to develop joint regional initiatives that Egypt and Singapore could lead across Africa and Southeast Asia, aimed at building regulatory capacities and enhancing equitable access to medicines. The two sides agreed on the importance of establishing a joint technical cooperation plan that includes training programs, exchange visits, and the creation of direct communication networks between the technical teams of both authorities, to facilitate knowledge transfer and strengthen the efficiency of Egypt’s pharmaceutical regulatory system. They also agreed to maintain dialogue under the framework of Asian–African cooperation to expand future partnership opportunities.
The meeting was attended on the Singaporean side by Ms. Siew Wei Chua, Deputy Director for International Affairs; Dr. Yi Ho Loi, Deputy Director of the Therapeutic Products Division; and Ms. Jessica Teo, Assistant Director-General of the Vigilance and Compliance Group.
On the Egyptian side, attendees included Dr. Osama Hatem, Assistant to the EDA Chairman for Policy and International Cooperation Affairs and Supervisor of the C.A for Pharmaceutical Policies and Market Support.
This meeting comes as part of the Egyptian Drug Authority’s ongoing efforts to build a broad network of international partnerships with leading global reference authorities, and its commitment to benefiting from advanced Asian experiences in developing regulatory systems and enhancing institutional efficiency. These efforts aim to achieve sustainable regulation and improve the quality of healthcare services provided to citizens.