FNA - Head of Food and Drug Administration of Iran (FDA) Mohammad Reza Shanesaz announced on Friday that three Iranian companies are ready to make the antiviral drug Favipiravir, which is said to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19.

Shanesaz said that production of Favipiravir in Iran is in the phase of clinical trials and as planned its basic substance will be domestically produced in the near future.

He added that in case of any deficiency, Iran has imports of anti-coronavirus medicine on agenda, as well.

On April 8, the Iranian version of antiviral drug favipiravir, which is said to be effective in treating coronavirus, began clinical trials through efforts of researchers at Shahid Beheshti Medical University.

Researchers of the university launched small trials of the antiviral drug favipiravir at Masih Daneshvari Hospital, which is one of the leading medical centers treating patients with the new coronavirus infection in Tehran.

On April 5, head of the Hospital, Ali Akbar Velayati, said, “Fortunately, favipiravir was produced for the first time at Shahid Beheshti Medical University’s School of Pharmacy and has been made available to Masih Daneshvari Hospital … to be used for the treatment of coronavirus patients.”

The new development came as US sanctions hinder the country's access to drugs and medical equipment.

The flu drug was hailed by Chinese health officials as “clearly effective” when used on 340 patients in trials there that showed reduced recovery time and improved lung function.

Iranian health ministry announced that 1,972 new cases of infection with coronavirus have been identified in the country, adding that the virus has killed a total number of 4,232 patients so far.

“1,972 more patients infected with COVID-19 virus have been identified in the country since yesterday based on confirmed diagnosis criteria,” Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on Friday.

He said that the number of coronavirus patients in Iran has increased to 68,192, adding that 4,232 people have lost their lives due to infection to the virus, including 122 in the past 24 hours.

Jahanpour, meantime, said that the recovery of patients has accelerated in Iran and 35,465 infected people have been treated and dismissed from hospital.

He noted that 242,568 coronavirus diagnosis tests have been carried out in the country so far, adding that 3,969 patients infected with COVID-19 virus are in critical conditions.

Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki stressed on April 7 effective measures to control coronavirus epidemic, expressing the hope that the disease would be controlled in Iran by late May.

“At present, the country is in the phase of disease management and we should not imagine that we have reached the harness and control phase. Today is the time for full-fledged combat against the virus. God willing, we will control coronavirus by late May. The virus should be controlled in the minimum possible time,” Namaki said, addressing the Iranian legislators in an open session of the parliament in Tehran.

He noted that at least 30% to 50% of hospital beds are still vacant across Iran and nearly 15,000 beds are ready to keep the patients who are recovering from coronavirus disease.

“We have now moved down to tank 6th in terms of deaths,” Namaki said, adding that the country’s situation in treatment of patients will improve in the next few days.

The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting approximately all countries and territories around the world. The virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has so far killed more than 102,000 people and infected over 1.6 million others globally.

The Iranian foreign ministry declared that despite Washington’s claims of cooperation to transfer drugs to Iran via the new Swiss-launched payment mechanism, the US is troubling the process amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Although US claims that medicines and medical equipment are not under sanctions, they have practically blocked the transfer of Iran’s financial resources in other countries into the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA), Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said.

As the death toll from the virus surges, Iran intensifies its preventive safety measures. Closures of schools and most universities have been extended until late April.

The government also imposed travel restrictions, specially on Iran’s North, which is among the red zones. The country has also adopted strict digital health control procedures at airports to spot possible infections.

Namaki announced last month that a new national mobilization plan would be implemented across the country to fight against the coronavirus epidemic and more effectively treat patients.

Namaki said that the plan will include all the 17,000 health centers and the 9,000 medical and clinical centers in all cities, suburban areas and villages.

He added that the plan will include home quarantine, noting that infected people will receive the necessary medicines and advice, but they are asked to stay at home.

Namaki said that people with a more serious condition will stay at the hospitals, adding that the public places will be disinfected, the entries of infected towns and cities will be controlled to diagnose and quarantine the infected cases.

He added that the necessary equipment and facilities have been provided, expressing the hope that the epidemic would be curbed.

According to the latest statistics of Health Ministry, the number of medical laboratories to test coronavirus infection has reached over 90 across the country.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says Iran's response to the virus has so far been up to the mark. Still, it says the US sanctions are a big challenge, and Washington would be complicit in the rising death toll in Iran if it would not remove its sanctions.

The World Health Organization has considered priorities in combating coronavirus and Islamic Republic of Iran obeys and follows up priorities as defined by WHO.

The WHO is dispatching separate delegations to all countries.