In the arid lands and lush pastures of Africa, a sick cow is rarely just a medical issue it is an economic crisis. The fragile chain linking animal health to human survival rests entirely on one critical link: reliable, affordable access to veterinary medicines. Yet, a troubling development across the Mediterranean suggests that link is under pressure in ways that could severely impact Africa.
On December 1, Access VetMed, the body representing Europe’s generic veterinary medicine industry, unveiled a manifesto that should serve as a wake-up call for global regulators. For the first time in over 20 years, the European industry has recorded a net negative balance in market authorisations registering 638 new products while losing 1,027 between 2024 and 2025. Regulations, intended to simplify this processes and improve medicine availability, has instead created greater complexity, higher fees, and procedural delays. The manifesto warns that these administrative burdens are threatening the “long-term availability of essential veterinary medicines throughout Europe,” prompting calls for a roadmap toward “smarter regulation” built on pillars of harmonisation, predictability, and optimisation.
For Africa the implications are stark and immediate. Veterinarians and farmers already face stockouts and substandard products, while the continent remains heavily dependent on imported generics. When the European generic market sneezes, African supply chains falters, Africa’s supply chains risk breaking entirely.
The European experience demonstrates that well-intentioned regulation, lacking pragmatic implementation, becomes a barrier to access. Africa cannot afford 54 fragmented, cumbersome regulatory environments that deter suppliers. Harmonisation must be adapted to regional realities ensuring rules encourage rather than obstruct medicine availability.
Europe’s call to avoid duplication of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspections is equally critical for Africa. Mutual recognition agreements between national regulators could drastically reduce the time and cost it takes to get essential drugs from a port to a rural farm.
The Access VetMed manifesto is a clear signal that regulatory sustainability is as crucial as environmental sustainability. For Africa, the path forward isn’t to copy Europe’s complex systems, but to learn from its current stumbling blocks. By embracing smarter, harmonized regulation that prioritizes availability over bureaucracy, African leaders can ensure that the medicines protecting the continent’s livestock and its people remain within reach.
