Minister of Health Adel Adawi met Tuesday John Martin, the director of the Gilead Company, which produces the new Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi.
The Ministry of Health and Population has signed an agreement with the US pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences to provide Sovaldi, a new hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment, at a fraction of its cost in the US.
Adawi welcomed Martin in his first visit to Egypt, stressing that the aim of the visit is to offer assurances about the sustainable supply of the new drug to the Egyptian market.
The minister added that his ministry was near to concluding the contract on a second batch of the medicine, which will be enough for the country's needs till 2015, and will be also enough for treating 70,000 patients.
Sovaldi costs USD 84,000 for a 12-week course of treatment and clinical studies indicated it has a 90% cure rate.