Egypt Obtains Samples of Japanese Drug to Fight COVID-19

The Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research revealed, that Egypt obtained Japanese antiviral drug, a month ago, used to treat patients with the novel coronavirus.

Japan has started promoting the drug “Avigan” which has been approved in China for treating influenza, but has not been approved in the United States for that purpose, or for fighting any other disease.

Avigan is originally used to treat the flu, as one of the possible treatments for the novel coronavirus "COVID-19", while researchers believe that its effect is effective against other viruses, especially after it has proven successful in more than one clinical test recently, according to the Egyptian privately-owned Shorouk newspaper.

In televised statements on Thursday, Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said that the Japanese factory responsible for producing the drug was contacted a month ago, adding that Egypt has been carrying out a research operation with Japan to find a drug that treats the COVID-19.

“Samples are obtained, and we will go for laboratory clinical trials,” Abdel Ghaffar stated. 

He indicated that there is a mandate from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to conduct a daily follow-up in cooperation with the Chinese side, which is working on manufacturing the raw material.

“President Sisi asked to manufacture a sufficient quantity of the drug through one of the pharmaceutical factories in the city of Tenth of Ramadan (north of Cairo),” the minister noted. “We are working now to get the official approval from the Japanese side.”

Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Population of Egypt announced the registration of 139 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 15 deaths.

"All registered cases of are placed in quarantine hospitals where they are subject to medical care in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization," said ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed.

The Egyptian official stated that the total number registered in Egypt with the COVID-19 until Thursday was 1699 cases, among which 348 cases were cured and discharged from the isolation hospital, and 118 deaths.