Despite the negative repercussions of the Corona pandemic since the virus began spreading last year, Egypt's exports of medical and pharmaceutical industries have witnessed remarkable growth. On Wednesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry revealed, in its latest report on the performance indicators of Egypt's non-oil foreign trade during the first 4 months of 2021, that Egyptian factories succeeded in exporting pharmaceutical and medical products worth $236 million. This number far exceeds the total exported of these products during the same period last year, where the value at that time did not exceed 148 million, which means achieving a growth rate of 60 percent during the comparison period. Competitiveness and growth Dr. Maged George, head of the Export Council for Medical Industries, said in a statement to "Sky News Arabia" that the Egyptian pharmaceutical sector has proven its ability to compete and grow during the Corona crisis. George pointed out that the sector's exports rose remarkably during the past few months as a result of the technological development witnessed by the Egyptian industry, and the opportunities that emerged on the sidelines of the Corona crisis. The Egyptian official pointed out that Egypt's exports of pharmaceutical industries and their derivatives rose to reach 176 million dollars during the first quarter of this year alone, stressing that the council seeks, through its initiative launched under the title "Together for Export", to increase the percentage and value of Egyptian drug exports to foreign markets, In the forefront of the African market. George stated that the last period witnessed the preparation of marketing studies that included all the opportunities and challenges facing the Egyptian medicine, and these studies will serve as a guide for Egyptian exporters in the coming period. Egyptian ambitions For his part, Dr. Mohi Hafez, Undersecretary of the Export Council for Medical Industries, confirmed in a statement to "Sky News Arabia" that despite the remarkable growth of the sector's exports during the last period, the achieved number does not match the Egyptian ambitions. Hafez pointed out that in light of presidential directives to pay attention to the Egyptian pharmaceutical industry, and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's launch of the project to establish the Egyptian Medicine City, the opportunities will increase for the pharmaceutical industry, which will witness a qualitative leap. The Egyptian Export Council seeks to focus on the African market as part of a strategy to increase the Egyptian pharmaceutical markets, and the strategy is based on reaching 21 new markets. Hafez added that the first phase of the strategy aims to reach the markets of 21 African countries that import the most medicine, which will be followed by targeting about 15 countries of the former Soviet Union, then focusing on the markets of countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Latin American markets. export boom The Egyptian medical sector is one of the most important productive and export sectors in Egypt, which benefited from the huge opportunities created by the pandemic, as production and export rates flourished in the sector’s companies. More than two weeks ago, the company "Eva Pharma", which produces the drug "Remdesivir" that is used to treat corona patients, contracted to supply shipments of the drug to India. The company said in a statement that it is coordinating with the Indian government to officially register the drug to help it confront Corona, and explained that it is producing it according to the latest technologies and international specifications, as it has accreditation from the European Medicines Agency. According to a study issued by the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, on the drug market, Egypt has achieved the highest growth rate in the Middle East for drug consumption, as it ranks second in the region after Saudi Arabia in terms of its share in the total Arab region of the market value of drug sales, followed by South Africa and Algeria, while the UAE ranks fifth. promising pharmaceutical industry On the future of the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt, Dr. Osama Rostom, Vice President of the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry in the Federation of Industries, said in exclusive statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that the Egyptian pharmaceutical industry is one of the promising industries, and that the Corona crisis showed that the sector has great capabilities and energies that can Building on it, explaining that "there are a number of obstacles facing this industry, on top of which is reliance on importing raw materials, as factories import the largest proportion of these materials, which prompted the Egyptian state to move with the aim of solving that obstacle." Rostom indicated that he held several meetings with the government to develop a strategy for the development of the industry, including the production of raw materials and the competition of producers in competitive markets, which will reflect positively on the industry in the coming period.