07 Mar 2021

 

The EDA has approved the sale of COVID-19 Avigan generic drugs in pharmacies. Egyptian drug producers will now be allowed to distribute the antiviral COVID-19 treatment in pharmacies. The drugs are a generic form of a Japanese drug, and contain the active ingredient Favipiravir. The drug has shown positive clinical results in treating mild to moderate COVID-19 cases. EVA Pharma and EIPICO have announced the availability of the drug in pharmacies following the EDA’s decision. Eva Pharma’s drug is called Avipiravir, while EIPICO’s is called Epifluver.

It is believed that other drug producers (such as Rameda) will announce the availability of the generic drug once they obtain the needed approvals. It is understood that many Egyptian producers have the capabilities to produce the generic in tablets form. The price of a 40-tablet dose has been previously announced to exceed the EGP1k mark. This is a positive decision for pharma manufacturers, with any windfall hard to quantify at this stage. (Source: Al-Borsa Newspaper, Souq Al-Dawa)