Two PPB experts will serve on African Medicines Agency technical committees for two years.
Dr Ali Abdulahi Arale and Edward Abwao will serve two-year terms, with Abwao chairing the clinical trials oversight committee.
Kenya has secured two AMA committee appointments, giving Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) experts continental medicines regulation roles. Edward Abwao will also chair the African Medicines Agency’s committee overseeing clinical trials and Good Clinical Practice.
Dr Ali Abdulahi Arale joins the Technical Committee on Evaluation of Medicines, Vaccines and Biologicals. Meanwhile, Abwao joins the Technical Committee on Clinical Trials Oversight and Good Clinical Practice, whose members elected him chairperson.
PPB said the agency announced the two-year appointments during its inaugural week in Kigali, Rwanda.
AMA committee appointments draw on regulatory experience
Dr Arale serves as PPB’s Acting Director of Medical Products and Health Technologies. He brings more than 25 years of professional experience, including 15 years in medicines regulation.
His expertise includes assessing medicines and vaccines, conducting regulatory inspections and evaluating Good Manufacturing Practice. He also has experience in health product registration and emergency use authorisation.
Abwao, meanwhile, has more than 22 years of experience in medicines regulation. He contributed to developing and establishing Kenya’s regulatory framework for clinical trials.
His expertise also spans post-marketing surveillance, pharmacovigilance and strengthening regulatory systems, alongside clinical trials oversight. PPB said the appointments recognise Kenyan regulators’ experience and expand the country’s contribution to scientific decisions across Africa.
Committees support common medicines standards
The technical committees provide independent scientific advice to the African Medicines Agency on medical products and clinical trials. Established under the African Medicines Agency Treaty, they also support evidence-based decisions and efforts to harmonise regulatory standards among African countries.
The medicines evaluation committee focuses on scientific assessments of medicines, vaccines and biological products. The clinical trials committee, meanwhile, offers technical guidance on clinical research standards and oversight.
PPB said the experts’ participation would strengthen regulatory cooperation and promote scientific excellence across the continent. It also expects their work to support better access to safe, effective and quality-assured medical products.
The board said the appointments would help Kenya contribute to more effective and coordinated African medicines regulatory systems.
