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| Africa North | |
| 15 million Egyptians infected with Hepatitis C: health minister, Indian factory launched | |
| 2015-05-04 | |
[AlAhram] An Indian factory is being launched in Egypt to produce drugs to help cure Hepatitis C with the same active pharmaceutical ingredient as the US-approved drug Sovaldi
Adawy's comments came during the opening of an Indian factory that will produce a drug to cure hepatitis C using the same active pharmaceutical ingredient as the US-approved drug Sovaldi. Sofosbuvir -- commercially named Sovaldi -- was approved in the United States in December 2013 and entered Egypt in October 2014. Adawy said the factory, which constitutes eight production lines, is set to provide half a million units, state news agency MENA reported. Last year, Egypt's health ministry brokered a deal with US biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences to import the drug at a cost of $900, down from its cost in the US of $84,000 for a three-month treatment. Gilead at the time confirmed signing a licensing agreement with seven Indian companies to develop and market the drug, as well as saying that they can set the price for it and receive a complete technology transfer of their manufacturing process. Egypt has the highest prevalence of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the world according to the World Health Organization. Every year there are 170,000-200,000 new HCV cases in Egypt. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #2 Coincidentally, they all work in food preparation. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2015-05-04 07:59 |
| #1 That much IV drug use? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2015-05-04 07:18 |