Iran Developing Coronavirus Drug, Health Ministry Vows Surprising Response

By Staff, Agencies

An Iranian medical official stated that the development of a drug and vaccine for the treatment of the novel coronavirus is underway in the country, as Iran's Health Ministry vowed that the country's response to the epidemic will surprise the world.

Alireza Jalali, the head of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, said the “scientific committees of Baqiyatallah University have been activated since last week in order to develop a definitive drug for the novel coronavirus.”

“During the past week, three new projects were launched for production of vaccine and definitive drug for coronavirus. We expect the projects to yield serious results,” he noted.

The first project, Jalali added, is aimed at producing a genetics-based drug for the new coronavirus, Covid-19. The Health Ministry and the research department of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps [IRGC] are working on this project, which is expected to yield results in three to six months.

The second project, development of vaccine, will successfully finish in three to five months, and the third project will focus on development of a herbal medicine for Covid-19 patients, he added.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced on Friday that coronavirus testing kits developed by Iranian experts at the Defense Ministry will receive final approvals in coming days, and will be mass-produced and supplied to laboratories across the country.

Earlier, Iran's Health Minister Saeid Namaki vowed that the country would surprise the world with its dealing with the coronavirus that has claimed more than two dozen lives since its breakout in the country last week.