The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) has announced that it will transfer part of its services to the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), effective 29 December 2025. This step comes within the framework of the Ministry's efforts to develop the healthcare system in the UAE and improve the customer experience by facilitating their access to services and enhancing the efficiency and speed of their delivery.

Under this decision, Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) will provide the services under the following categories:

  • Non-clinical and clinical research entities
  • Biobanks
  • R&D contracting companies
  • Bioequivalence centers
  • Issuance of permit for the possession and handling of controlled materials and products (joint jurisdiction)
  • Issuance of approval for the safe disposal of medical products
  • Issuance of all types of marketing authorizations for medical products (e.g., exclusive, conditional, and emergency use marketing authorizations)
  • Issuance of approvals and permits to import, export, or re-export of medical products
  • Issuance of approval for advertising, promotion, and marketing of medical products
  • Suspension and recall of medical products nationwide
  • Licensing and oversight of the following establishments:
    • Factories and contracting companies manufacturing medical products
    • Medical warehouses and medical stores:
      • Marketing offices
      • Pharmaceutical consulting offices
      • Pharmaceutical laboratories
  • Issuance of Good Practice certificates, which are among the requirements for licensing pharmaceutical establishments and biobanks, including:
    • Good Manufacturing Practice Certificate for Factories
    • Good Compounding Practice Certificate for Compounding Pharmacies
    • Certificate of Distribution and Good Storage for Medical Warehouses
    • Good Clinical Practice Certificate for Clinical Research entities and Others

The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) is the federal authority responsible for regulating medical and pharmaceutical products, including medical devices, blood derivative products, genetically modified organisms, stem cells, medicated cosmetics, veterinary medications, and agricultural products.


The Ministry calls on customers to continue submitting their requests for the services listed in the above categories through MOHAP until they are fully transferred to the Emirates Drug Establishment. From 29 December 2025, customers will be able to submit, track and manage their requests through the EDE portal: www.ede.gov.ae.

 

Services that will be transferred to EDE from 29 December 2025

  • Issue a Certificate of Compliance with the Good Practice Standards of a Pharmaceutical Establishment
  • Issue a Price List of Medicines Registered to a Company
  • Issue a Price List for controlled or Semi-Controlled Medicines
  • Issue a Price List for Medical Products Registered in the UAE
  • Issue of a Single Medical Product Pricing Certificate
  • Issue of Permit to Import Raw Materials
  • Issue of Permit to Import Medicines from a Local Agent
  • Issue of Permit to Import Medical Equipment
  • Issue of Permit to Import Chemical Precursors
  • Issue of Certificate of Release of Shipment of Pharmaceutical Products Derived from Biological Sources
  • Issue an Authorization to Import Narcotic Drugs
  • Issue of Permit to Export Precursors Chemicals
  • Issue of permit to Export Medicines
  • Issue an authorization to Export Narcotic Drugs
  • Appeal Against Medical Licensing Committee Decisions
  • Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance Plan for Medical Products within UAE
  • Issue of Permit to Import Medicines for Exhibitions
  • Renewal of Registration of a Conventional Pharmaceutical Product
  • Renewal of Registration of a Pharmaceutical Product for General Sale
  • Renewal of Registration of a Pharmaceutical Product derived from Natural Sources
  • Renewal of Registration of Medical Equipment
  • Registration/ Renewal of Chemical Precursor Companies
  • Register for Controlled or Semi-Controlled Drugs Custody
  • Issue a Certificate of Compliance with good Manufacturing Practice Standards
  • Issue of a Certificate of Amendment of Registered Pharmaceutical Products
  • Amend the Registration Data of a Medical Company or a Manufacturer Licensed to Market
  • Registration of a Medical Equipment
  • Registration of Pharmaceutical Product for General Sale
  • Renewal of Registration of a Pharmaceutical Product derived from Natural Sources
  • Re-Pricing of a Medicine
  • Approval of Pharmacovigilance Officer within UAE
  • Reporting Side Effects of Medicines and Medical Products within UAE
  • Analyze/ Re-Analysis of a Medical Product for A Pharmaceutical Company and Its Subsidiaries
  • Classification of a product
  • Authorize a Pharmaceutical Company to dispose any Pharmaceutical Products as Medical Waste
  • Issue of Quality Report For Medical Product Issued by Drug Quality Control Laboratory
  • Issue of a Certificate of Accreditation for a Center of Clinical Studies or Bioequivalence
  • Issue of a Certificate of Free Sale of a Medical Product for Export
  • Issue of a Certificate of a Pharmaceutical Product for Export
  • Issue of Permit to Import Medicines for Personal Use
  • Renewal of the Registration of a Manufacturer of Medical Products
  • Registration of A Manufacturer of Medical Products
  • Assessment of Medical Products for Pharmacological Research and Clinical Studies of Drugs
  • Registration of a Conventional Pharmaceutical Product
  • Licensing a Pharmaceutical Facility (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Renewal of a Pharmaceutical Facility License (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Re-license (Re-register) a Pharmaceutical Facility (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Amend a Pharmaceutical Facility License (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Cancellation of a Pharmaceutical Facility's License(The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • List of Licensed Pharmaceutical Facilities in the UAE (Specialties of the Establishment, which include factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred.  Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Issue License / Renew License for a Health Advertisement (Advertisements related to medical products).
  • Appealing Against Health Advertisement Violation (Advertisements related to medical products) .
  • Complaints about private health and pharmaceutical facilities and their medical staff (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Approve Emergency Drugs and Psychotropic Materials (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Handover of Narcotic Drugs custody permission (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Approve the signature of the responsible for Narcotic Drugs custody (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)
  • Register of the Narcotic drugs distributed to Private Health Establishments (The relevant specialties of the institution, including factories, warehouses, medical stores, and marketing offices, will be transferred. Community and compounding pharmacies will remain under MOHAP’s jurisdiction)