Dr. Ali Al-Ghamrawy, Chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority, conducted a field visit to Orchidia Pharmaceutical Industries in Obour City to monitor the level of readiness for implementing the Pharmaceutical Track and Trace System on various production lines, as part of the Authority’s comprehensive digital transformation plan.
The visit reflects the EDA’s commitment to ensuring the effective and sustainable implementation of the track-and-trace system, one of the most important modern regulatory tools supporting the state’s efforts to control the Egyptian pharmaceutical market, enhance the efficiency of the pharmaceutical supply chain, and ensure that patients receive safe and effective pharmaceutical products.
Dr. Al-Ghamrawy began his visit with a comprehensive inspection tour of the various manufacturing sections, including the production lines for the pharmaceutical products manufactured at the facility.
During the tour, the Chairman and the accompanying delegation reviewed the mechanisms used for Unit-Level Coding, where digital printing systems linked to the Data Matrix codes were demonstrated. These systems enable the individual serialization of each pharmaceutical package, allowing it to be tracked throughout the production, transportation, and distribution stages.
They also reviewed the printing systems used for the track-and-trace process, ensuring that all printers and equipment comply with the technical specifications approved by the Egyptian Drug Authority. Furthermore, the Chairman followed the process of linking each serialized individual unit with its shipment and subsequent higher-level aggregation units through a sequential system that ensures full traceability until the product reaches the patient.
During the technical presentation provided by factory officials, it was highlighted that Orchidia has already implemented a full serialization and track-and-trace system across all production lines and product packages, in accordance with national and international requirements. This includes seamless data integration between the factory and the EDA’s system, ensuring the immediate registration of data for products trading in the market.
They also confirmed that implementing the track-and-trace system has directly contributed to enhancing the factory’s export capabilities to markets that require serialization compliance. This has facilitated access to new markets in Europe, Asia, and Africa due to meeting global pharmaceutical traceability requirements.
During the visit, Dr. Al-Ghamrawy stated that the pharmaceutical track-and-trace system is a strategic and vital step in strengthening the regulatory control of the pharmaceutical market. He noted that it is one of the most significant digital transformation projects in the Egyptian pharmaceutical sector and plays a key role in protecting patients by preventing illicit practices and the trade of non-compliant products.
He affirmed that the Egyptian Drug Authority continues to conduct regular field visits to factories and companies to verify their readiness to implement the track-and-trace system in accordance with the approved timelines.
It is worth noting that the Orchidia Pharmaceutical Industries facility in El Obour City covers an area of 6,000 square meters and operates eight production lines for ophthalmic products, including eye drops, single-dose units, ointments, and lens disinfectant solutions. The factory’s current annual production volume is approximately 103 million units.
The company exports to 40 countries—primarily in the Middle East and Africa—and is expanding into new markets in Europe and Commonwealth countries. The company has more than 100 registered and marketed pharmaceutical products.