The first batch of an Iranian-made version of the remdesivir treatment for COVID-19 is expected to reach the domestic market by next week, Iran's Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2020) The first batch of an Iranian-made version of the remdesivir treatment for COVID-19 is expected to reach the domestic market by next week, Iran's Minister of Health and Medical education Saeed Namaki said on Monday.
"We will supply the first localized production of antiviral 'Remdesivir' medicine at the market next week in the fight against the novel coronavirus," Namaki was quoted as saying by the Iranian news agency Mehr.
Remdesivir is one of a handful of already-existing antiviral drugs that are believed to be safe and effective for treating COVID-19 patients. The World Health Organization (WHO) is continuing to conduct trials on the treatment to confidently assess its effectiveness.
Namaki added that Iranian pharmaceutical scientists are also working to produce favipiravir, another antiviral drug that can be used to treat patients with the coronavirus disease, the agency reported.
The WHO has previously distributed supplies of remdesivir to Iran amid the ongoing epidemiological crisis as part of the organization's medical assistance to the country.
Iran was one of the first global epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani said that as many as 25 million people in the country may have been infected with the disease.
The country's Ministry of Health has confirmed 276,202 positive tests for COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak, with 2,414 new cases being registered on Monday. The country's death toll currently stands at 14,405 after 217 more people died over the preceding 24 hours.
