The Sabaa International Company for Pharmaceutical and Chemical Industry has obtained initial approval to register the antiviral drug, Favipiravir, used international as a treatment for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The approval was given by the Ministry of Health's pharmaceutical regulatory body, the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA). According to the EDA-issued approval, it is expected that all registration procedures will be completed within three months in preparation for production. All production operations for the drug, which also goes under the trade name Avigan in Japan, will take place through the company's factory in the industrial zone at Kafr El-Sheikh. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research have conducted clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of a group of drugs used in treating coronavirus patients, which includes Favipiravir. Favipiravir was also used as part of experimental treatment for coronavirus patients and in clinical trials in Japan, China, Italy and Russia. The approval by its Ministry of Health ensured that Russia became the first country in the world to officially use the drug in treating patients with the virus. Last month, the Tenth of Ramadan for Pharmaceutical Industries and Diagnostic Reagents Company (Rameda) announced that it would start manufacturing the antiviral Anviziram for treatment of coronavirus, which contains the same pharmaceutical ingredient as Favipiravir.
