The Acting Minister of Health has announced providing the antiviral COVID-19 drug “Molnupiravir” in government pharmacies.
This came during the Cabinet’s meeting on Wednesday, headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar presented a report on the epidemiological situation of the coronavirus at the local and global levels.
Hossam Hosni, Head of the scientific committee to combat the coronavirus, said that Molnupiravir is used during the first five days of the infection for stable cases. The drug’s price is EGP 630, and will be available to citizens only through a prescription approved by a specialist doctor.
Molnupiravir was produced by the American company Merck, and it allowed other drug makers to produce it in a move aimed at helping millions of people to obtain the drug that is likely to save thousands of lives.
This new drug is unlike other drugs that have been used since the beginning of the pandemic for this purpose, and it was required to give it intravenously or by injection, such as the drug “Remdesivir” and the mixture of monoclonal antibodies produced by “Regeneron”, and they were given to patients after they needed hospitalization.
