Will Egyptian medicine prices rise in January 2027?

The Assistant Chairman of Egypt's Drug Authority, Yassen Ragai, has refuted claims of impending medicine price increases set to commence in January 2027, asserting that there is currently no approval for such actions. A statement attributed to the Head of the Pharmaceuticals Division at the General Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, Ali Ouf, suggested that nearly 40 pharmaceutical products would be repriced and their prices raised starting next year.

However, Ragai debunked this assertion in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm, declaring, "There is no such thing as approving an increase in medicine prices in January from now; this is completely incorrect." The Assistant Chairman explained that pharmaceutical companies submit price adjustment requests to the authority for review, with the approval process involving an examination of the impact on production costs and a determination of the necessity for a price change.

Ouf disclosed that the Drug Authority has rejected roughly 90 percent of the price adjustment requests it has received, noting that out of around 400 submissions, only 10 percent are reviewed starting in January 2027. He clarified that the authority does not automatically approve price adjustments, but rather scrutinizes each request to assess whether production costs have changed sufficiently to warrant a price increase.

According to Ouf, the authority's focus is on reviewing the cost impact of specific items rather than instituting a blanket price increase across all medicines. He emphasized that any potential price adjustments will be contingent upon the outcomes of the cost review process, with items deemed unnecessary for price adjustments remaining unchanged.