Seventeen pharmaceutical companies in Egypt requested licenses from the health ministry to locally produce Tamiflu, the medicine used to treat the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. Five companies are about to obtain licenses soon. They will import the active ingredient of the medicine from India, and will sell the local product early next month for a projected price of LE 75 per pack. The companies might also export part of their production in light of the high global demand for the medicine. However, Medicine Export Council President Ossama el-Saadi said local production would not be possible before the end of 2011. "It will take at least two years of research before the medicine can be produced locally," he explained. "The Egyptian Vaccines Authority is currently building a production facility to produce the H1N1 vaccine, but it will not be introduced into the market for two years for the same reason," he added. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
