Algerian importers boycott Egypt medicines

A number of medicine importers banned tens of agreements with Egyptian operators in pharmaceutical industries sector following tension between Algeria and Egypt.

• The importers banned 28 Egypt-made generic medicines from the Algerian importing list and replaced them with other generic medicines.
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• Sources at the Algerian health ministry said it gave an instruction to reject any pharmaceutical products imported from Egypt. That means the Algerian importers decided to boycott the Egyptian products in all its forms.
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• Chief of private chemists’ union Belaanbri said the boycott initiative will develop Algeria’s policy to encourage national products and locally-made generic medicines.
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• Algeria’s imported medicines bill was estimated at about $2 billion in 2009 while it reached $1.8 billion in 2008.
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• Authorities believe that medicines imported from Egypt can be replaced by generic ones made in Jordan, Syria or Saudi Arabia.   
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• “Some generic medicines made in Egypt are produced by world laboratories. They have subsidies in Egypt. That makes Algerian to ask those laboratories to invest in it instead of importing it,” he said.
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• Medicines boycott is a new blow to the Algerian Egyptian economic relations following Egypt’s media campaign against Algeria.
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• Previously, Algeria decided to ban 709 Egyptian products and to stop gas exporting to Egypt.