The African Union and its partners have launched a new continental network to harmonize the regulation of veterinary medicines, aiming to improve access to safe and effective products for livestock farmers across Africa.

• The new network, called the Pan-African Regulatory Authorities Network for Veterinary Products (PARAN-VPs), was endorsed after a three-day meeting in Nairobi.
• The initiative is led by the AU Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the AU Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Centre (AU-PANVAC), with support from organizations like GALVmed.
• Africa's livestock sector supports over 350 million people, with Kenya's livestock contributing 12 percent of its GDP.
• An estimated USD 4 billion is lost annually in Africa due to unrealized livestock potential, a gap the new framework aims to address.
• GALVmed CEO Dr. Lois Muraguri highlighted that harmonized regulation will ensure safe and effective products reach those who need them most.