The Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) issued a directive in December 2025 rewriting rules for narcotic and psychotropic medicines in the health system. The new regulations track shipments from entry into the country through to prescription, dispensing, storage, or destruction. This replaces a system based on serial-numbered prescription pads with broader supply chain accountability.
Federal drug regulators in Ethiopia have rewritten the rules governing the movement of narcotic and psychotropic medicines through the health system. This follows a directive issued in December 2025 by the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA). The new rules track each shipment from the moment it enters the country to the point of prescription, dispensing, storage, or destruction of a tablet. They replace a previous regime centered on serial-numbered prescription pads with a framework that extends accountability across the entire supply chain. The EFDA's directive aims to control narcotic applications and curb diversion networks. It addresses gaps in the old system reliant on numbered pads by broadening oversight. The article, dated February 21, 2026, was written by Mekdelawit Melaku, a Fortune staff writer.