Wazir exempts Egyptian Drug Authority from decision on factory inspection, closure

Deputy Prime Minister, Trade and Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir exempted the Egyptian Drug Authority from his August decision which requires his approval before the closure or inspection of any industrial facility. 

The exemption, issued on Saturday, came after Wazir met that same day with Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and the World Health Organization’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Balkhy, where they discussed the EDA’s independence from the earlier decision on factory inspections, according to a WHO official who spoke to Mada Masr.

Meanwhile, the National Food Safety Authority is seeking a similar exemption, according to a source close to NFSA’s officials who also serves as an advisor to several food factories. "The EDA was able to secure an exemption from this decision due to its significant influence, but there have been ongoing discussions between NFSA officials and the Industry Ministry to obtain a similar exception," the source said.

On August 10, Wazir issued a decision that stripped various entities of the authority they formerly held to inspect and oversee industrial facilities. These powers were transferred to a committee he formed and chairs, which includes representatives from the ministries of health, petroleum, environment, local development, supply, irrigation, interior and labor, as well as members from the Federation of Egyptian Industries. The decision prohibits any legally authorized entity from closing an industrial establishment without first obtaining Wazir’s written approval and allows factory owners to deny entry to inspectors from entities not represented on the new committee.

The decision immediately sparked objections due to its near-total reduction of inspection powers, which play a significant role in regulating manufacturing violations, especially in critical sectors like pharmaceuticals and food. The move centralized inspection authority for tens of thousands of industrial facilities across the country into the hands of a single committee.

A former pharmaceutical inspector at the Health Ministry told Mada Masr in August that the decision followed a complaint from a major pharmaceutical factory owner against an EDA inspector who had shut down the facility due to violations. Subsequent complaints were lodged by other pharmaceutical manufacturers about the “intransigence” of  EDA’s inspectors.

"It means that even if I, as an inspector, have all the evidence that a factory needs to be shut down, the concerned committee could override the decision," the inspector said, noting at the time that this decision could lead to an increase of substandard drugs entering the market.