How this law can help Egypt in clinical trials amid COVID-19 crisis
The Egyptian parliament approved a bill regulating clinical medical research, in the hope that it would contribute to revitalizing the pharmaceutical industry and bring Egypt into the race of developing a coronavirus vaccine.
CAIRO — Egypt’s parliament approved Aug. 24 a bill regulating clinical medical research. The bill is known in the media as the Clinical Trials Law that regulates scientific research and subjects patients to clinical trials and research.
In May 2018, parliament had approved a bill governing clinical medical research, but President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rejected some of its articles, including those requiring researchers and scientists to obtain prior approval from several bodies to conduct medical research and clinical trials. According to the draft law, these bodies include the Supreme Council of Universities (a governmental body), the General Intelligence Service and other oversight bodies. Sisi referred the draft law back to parliament for review in early October 2018, after it stirred controversy in the scientific and medical quarters in regard to ethics and legalities.
