Egyptian drug maker Eva Pharma said it has begun manufacturing antiviral treatment Avipiravir, which has proved effective in treating COVID-19 patients in Russia amid ongoing trials of the same drug in Japan and other countries.
The company has begun producing the drug at its factories in Egypt after conducting necessary manufacturing trials, Riad Armanious, CEO of Eva Pharma, said on Monday. The company is coordinating with relevant Egyptian authorities to make the drug available for treating the highly contagious virus in the coming period, he added.
The Egyptian drug would contain the active
substance of Favipiravir, an oral antiviral drug originally approved for the
treatment of influenza in Japan. It is currently being tested to treat COVID-19
under different brand names in Japan and other countries.
Armanious said Eva Pharma aims to meet local demand of the drug, as well as export it to a number of countries in the Middle East, Africa and beyond.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
