Head of the Food and Drug Administration of Iran Mohammadreza Shanesaz announced on Monday that the homegrown Remdesivir will be distributed among the hospitals within the next couple of days.
The Iranian Remdesivir, used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, costs only a third or a fourth of the official price of the foreign medication, he noted.
Shanesaz added that other coronavirus drugs have also been produced inside the country, including Favipiravir, Coltra, Oseltamivir, and Actemra.
Iranian pharmacologists succeeded in synthesizing Favipiravir drug, also known as Avigan, in April.
The homegrown drug was given to Masih Daneshvari hospital to be used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in compliance with the medical ethics and at the discretion of the medical ethics committee of the hospital.
Favipiravir is an anti-flu drug invented by Japan’s Fujifilm Holding Corporation. The drug was approved for use in Japan in 2014. It was tested in China as a treatment for COVID-19.