Local insulin producers expand as export demand grows

Local insulin manufacturers are expanding capacity to meet new export orders from Europe and Africa, while seeking to preserve supply for the domestic market, sources at several producers tell EnterpriseAM. The companies are investing in additional production lines and higher output to fulfill the orders and access further export markets, the sources say.

“Egyptian-made insulin is currently exported to around 10 countries, including Cuba, Malaysia, and Kenya,” Ali Ouf, head of the Pharma Division at the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, tells us. “There are requests from other countries to import the Egyptian product.”

BUT- The Egyptian Drug Authority is cautious about allowing exports that could affect domestic availability, Ouf says, making capacity expansion essential for companies seeking to serve both markets.

“There is no crisis or shortage of insulin in pharmacies,” Ouf argues, adding that the private sector, which accounts for around 80% of the country’s insulin market, has availability of roughly 95%. Egypt now has four insulin factories that have been operating for about a decade, he says, with local output meeting the needs of routine cases, which represent about 95% of insulin users. The state continues to secure supplies of newer and more specialized insulin types for the remaining 5%.

One producer tells us they currently supply more than 1 mn insulin packs to the domestic market each month, with most output sold locally and export volumes released only with Egyptian Drug Authority approval. Local manufacturers produce insulin in both vials and pens.

On quality: “Importing countries inspect Egyptian factories and request the necessary studies and quality certificates before allowing imports,” Ouf says, arguing that “the existence of these requests reflects the local industry’s ability to compete abroad after obtaining the required international accreditations.”

Building a local shield and a regional power: Egypt is looking to become a regional production and export hub for insulin, Ouf says. The local industry’s scale-up has also helped guard against supply disruptions, he adds, contrasting the 2018 insulin shortage — when Egypt was more dependent on imports — with a 2024 shortage, when domestic manufacturers increased production.

DATA POINT- Local insulin production could save the state around EGP 4 bn compared to imports, according to Ouf, who estimates that meeting the country’s insulin needs through imports would cost roughly EGP 8 bn, against around EGP 4 bn for locally made alternatives. For the whole country’s medical needs, he says local drugmakers now meet some 92% of needs, saving the country around USD 8 bn annually in import costs.

BACKGROUND- Eva Pharma began producing and selling locally manufactured insulin glargine with Eli Lilly in December 2024, saying then that it had signed MoUs covering exports to 56 countries and was targeting USD 100 mn in annual insulin exports by 2030. We also examined the wider push by local drugmakers into specialized manufacturing earlier this year.

More capacity is in the pipeline: Around 300 pharma factories are currently under construction in Egypt, Ouf says, as manufacturers expand into biotechnology, oncology meds, hormones, and active pharma ingredients. The Egyptian Drug Authority most recently put the number of licensed pharma factories at 183, saying domestic production covers 92-94% of demand for essential and chronic meds.

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