Review of requirements and processes for registration of veterinary products in selected African and Asian countries

Abstract

The document provides a summarised overview of requirements and processes for the registration of veterinary products in a limited number of African and Asian countries. Although the majority of African countries have registration systems or related legislation in place, many of them do not effectively regulate the use of veterinary products in the country. Registration systems and procedures are constantly being put into place and/or evolving in African countries. The information provided here is thought to be accurate as of late 2015 but changes will certainly take place over the next few years. Precise details on the numbers of copies of dossiers, samples, documents need to be checked with the relevant authorities when a submission is made. Centralised systems such as the one for UEMOA (the West African Economic and Monetary Union) are not operating effectively, and on the contrary are encouraging the introduction of unregulated products. UEMOA’s system is operating for the registration of products, but it is slow, with very rigorous requirements similar to those for registration in the European Union. It is hoped that it will evolve toward greater effectiveness. Regional approaches could constitute a good basis for improving the situation in Africa. This is an output from the ‘Global Alliance For Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed): Phase 2 – Protecting Livestock and Saving Human Lives’ programme