Never stop, switch or cut back a medicine on your own. What to write down, and how the Egyptian Drug Authority’s availability enquiry, hotline and “similars and alternatives” page work, from the Authority’s own pages.
If a medicine you take is out of stock in Egypt, do not stop it, swap it or cut back on your own: ask your doctor or pharmacist first. You can then ask the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) whether it is available, through a free online enquiry or its hotline 15301 (read 31 October 2026).
This guide uses the Authority’s own pages, read on 31 October 2026. It names no medicine, maker or pharmacy, gives no doses and does not say which medicines are short. What to do about your own medicine is for your doctor or pharmacist.
In short:
- Never stop, switch or cut back a medicine on your own. Ask your doctor or pharmacist, and tell your doctor before you run out, not after.
- The Authority’s online availability enquiry is free, and its page invites you to call 15301 directly (read 31 October 2026).
- Its «مثيل و بديل» page covers only some important preparations and asks you to consult your doctor when using alternatives.
Last checked: 31 October 2026, on the pages listed under Sources. Hotline details and services change, so open the page again before you rely on this guide.
A medicine is out of stock: what should I do first?
These steps are ours and fit any medicine. They do not replace your doctor or pharmacist.
- Do not stop, switch or cut back on your own. Do not use someone else’s medicine or a leftover from an old prescription, and do not stretch a pack by taking less.
- Write down the name, strength, dosage form and active ingredient printed on your prescription or box. How to read a medicine leaflet in Egypt shows where to find them.
- Ask the pharmacist whether it is out of stock only there. If another product is suggested, ask your doctor before using it.
- Call your doctor before you run out and ask what to do about the gap. If you have none left, call your doctor or pharmacist today.
- Ask the Authority about availability, as below. If you feel unwell, tell your doctor; in an emergency, go to the nearest emergency department.
Medicine shortages in Egypt: where do I ask or report at the Egyptian Drug Authority?
The Authority lists these channels on its pages (read 31 October 2026). The middle column summarises its words; the last is our note.
| Channel | What the Authority says | Our note |
|---|---|---|
| Online availability enquiry | Lets citizens ask about the availability of pharmaceutical products in the Egyptian market; the relevant administration then contacts them. Free. The page says reports and the inquirer’s data are treated confidentially. The 15 June 2024 news item lists it among five digital channels for contact with the public, reporting drug shortages and violations, and drug consultations, which it says work round the clock and are free. | The form opens from a “Request Service” button. We did not open it and cannot say what it asks. |
| Hotline 15301 | The availability page invites you to call it directly. The Authority’s news items of 10 January 2021 and 15 June 2024 describe it as round the clock, and the 2021 item says that, as a first phase, it takes shortage enquiries and directs callers to the nearest place to get the medicine or its «مثائل» (similars). The English contact page lists “Inquiries or reporting about drug shortages” among its services; the Arabic one does not. | The contact page states no hours: confirm before you rely on them. The 2021 words describe the service as the Authority put it then; what a caller is told today is for the Authority to say. Not a medical emergency line. |
| Report of a violation | For violations by pharmaceutical establishments in the handling and quality of pharmaceutical products. Free. The Authority’s 15 June 2024 news item gives as examples smuggled, falsified and expired medicines, medicines sold above the compulsory price, and trading in free samples. | For something wrong in how a medicine is handled or sold, not for a missing one. |
Questions about a medicine itself go to the Authority’s drug-information enquiry, answered by its Egyptian Pharmaceutical Information Center. We found no list of current shortages on the pages we read; what they offer is a way to ask. For prices, see will medicine prices rise? What the Egyptian Drug Authority said in October 2026.
How does the Authority’s “similars and alternatives” page work?
The tool page is headed «مثيل و بديل» and invites a search by name, disease and therapeutic group (read 31 October 2026). Its table shows company, trade name, disease, therapeutic group, similars and alternatives. Its heading says it covers «لبعض المستحضرات الهامة» (some important preparations), so not finding a medicine there says nothing about it. The page has a trade-name box, two drop-down lists and a Search button; we did not run a search. It carries this note: “The Egyptian Drug Authority emphasizes the importance of consulting your doctor when using alternatives.”
The Authority’s PDF of examples explains the two words (read 31 October 2026). The right-hand column is our summary:
| Term | The Authority’s explanation |
|---|---|
| Similar («مثيل») | The same active ingredient, concentration, indications and dosage form as the original medicine; it differs only in the trade name. |
| Alternative («بديل») | A different active ingredient from the original medicine, used for the same disease. |
These are definitions, not a statement that one medicine can replace another for you; the PDF advises going back to the treating doctor when alternatives are used. This guide names no product.
What about groups and private sellers offering the missing medicine?
Treat any such pack as unchecked: this guide cannot vouch for any source. The Authority’s 15 June 2024 examples of violations to report include smuggled, falsified and expired medicines. How to check a medicine or contact lens against Egyptian Drug Authority warnings explains its circulars; a pack missing from them is not cleared by that. Ask your pharmacist about any such pack before you use it.
In Egypt: who is responsible for medicine availability?
The Egyptian Drug Authority describes itself as a public service body affiliated with the Prime Minister that regulates and monitors pharmaceutical products and medical devices (the footer of its English pages, read 31 October 2026). When it launched the hotline on 10 January 2021, its spokesperson said it follows the stock of important and vital medicines to anticipate shortages, in coordination with the Unified Procurement Authority; the news item places this within the Authority’s regulatory role of setting plans and policies that aim to ensure the availability of pharmaceutical preparations and medical supplies, among other aims (EDA news, 10 January 2021). These are statements of role and method from 2021, not a measure of today’s supply.
Where Medigize stands
Medigize is a navigation tool. It is not part of the Authority, it does not know what is in stock in any pharmacy, and it does not sell, recommend or rate medicines. We are building a record that moves with the patient, shared only with their consent. If you would like to follow that work, you can register your interest.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I report a medicine shortage in Egypt?
Ask the Egyptian Drug Authority about availability through its free online enquiry, or call its hotline 15301, which the enquiry page invites you to do (read 31 October 2026). Tell your doctor or pharmacist too.
What is the Egyptian Drug Authority’s hotline?
15301, printed in the header and footer of the Authority’s pages (read 31 October 2026). Its news items describe it as round the clock; the contact page states no hours. It is not a medical emergency line: in an emergency, go to the nearest emergency department.
Does the Authority publish a list of medicine shortages?
We did not find one on the pages we read (31 October 2026). The availability page says the relevant administration contacts the person who asked.
Can I take a similar or an alternative if my medicine is out of stock?
That is for your doctor or pharmacist to say. The Authority’s page asks you to consult your doctor when using alternatives.
Medigize is a non-diagnostic navigation tool. This is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency department.
Sources
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): contact us, with hotline 15301 and the electronic services (English), read 31 October 2026
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): contact us, the list of hotline services (Arabic), read 31 October 2026
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): inquire about the availability of pharmaceutical products, read 31 October 2026
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): inquire about reliable drug information, read 31 October 2026
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): reporting violations related to pharmaceutical products or establishments, read 31 October 2026
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): news item of 10 January 2021 launching the hotline 15301 (Arabic), read 31 October 2026
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): news item of 15 June 2024 on five digital services, including the availability enquiry (Arabic), read 31 October 2026
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): similars and alternatives («مثيل و بديل») search page, read 31 October 2026
- Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA): examples of similars and alternatives of the most important preparations, with the difference between the two (PDF, Arabic), read 31 October 2026
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