The Ministry of Health announced today that it is receiving from Japan a batch of 12.200 tablets of Avigan (Favipiravir), an experimental drug developed there to treat conditions caused by infection with the new Coronavirus, but for now there are no details regarding its use.
The Ministry of Health is one of 70 countries that have applied to be part of a government program run by the Japanese government, which has sent the drug to be tested in 38 countries to see how effective it is. .
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health announce the receipt of a donation from the Government of Japan, consisting of a batch of 12.200 tablets of Avigan (Favipiravir), an experimental drug developed by the Japanese company Toyama Chemicals and used in the treatment of diseases caused by the new coronavirus.
The donation, made following the steps taken by the MFA through diplomatic channels and by the Ministry of Health, is part of a humanitarian program worth 1 million USD carried out by the Government of Japan, within which the medicine will be distributed free of charge in 38 countries applicants (among the more than 70 countries that expressed their desire to be included in this clinical trial). The shipment of the medicine was made through the good offices of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The 12.200 tablets allocated to Romania represent the treatment for 100 patients suffering from COVID-19.
The MFA and the Ministry of Health express their satisfaction with the decision of the Government of Japan to include Romania among the beneficiaries of the program and consider that this gesture is defining for the close friendship between Romania and Japan and, at the same time, for international solidarity in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MFA and the Ministry of Health also express their special thanks to the Embassy of Japan in Bucharest for the precious support given in the realization of this endeavor."
