Briefs
Military wants clinical trial of illegally imported Covid-19 drug to be approved
The SA military has illegally imported a drug which is supposedly an effective treatment for Covid-19 and wants to run a local trial.
By Antony Sguazzin
(Bloomberg) – The South African military will apply to run a clinical trial for the use of a drug known as Heberon to tackle Covid-19, ending a dispute over the illegal importation of the medicine by the defence forces, the country's health products regulator said.
The drug, a Cuban product that contains recombinant human interferon alpha-2b, has been touted as a potential treatment for the coronavirus. It has been used to treat various forms of cancer and leukaemia.
The application will be examined by the South African Health Products Regulator, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The dispute began when the regulator became aware of the arrival of the drug in the country in November.
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