CAIRO, August 12. /Dunyo IA/. Uzbek diplomats held a meeting with Mohamed Farouk, Regional Director of Egyptian pharmaceutical corporation PHARCO Corporation, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

The parties discussed prospects for engaging the company in cooperation with Uzbekistan, including investment, technology transfer and the localization of medicines for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Pharco Pharmaceuticals, a core enterprise of Pharco Corporation, was established in 1987. The corporation comprises nine organizations employing more than 5,700 people. Its annual sales exceed 345 million packages, with products exported to 57 countries. Holding a 13.2-percent share, Pharco ranks first in Egypt’s pharmaceutical market.

Mohamed Farouk highlighted the corporation’s role in Egypt’s efforts to eliminate hepatitis C. The company established production of affordable antiviral medicines, including the generic sofosbuvir Gratisovir and the licensed medicine Ravidasvir. This helped reduce the cost of a treatment course from tens of thousands of dollars to less than $100, with a reported cure rate of 99 percent.

Large-scale supplies of these medicines under the national program enabled millions of people to receive treatment. As a result, Egypt became the first country in the world to receive the WHO’s official “Gold” certification for its achievement in eliminating hepatitis C.

PHARCO Corporation already cooperates with several private pharmaceutical companies in Uzbekistan. Establishing systematic cooperation on Gratisovir and Ravidasvir could facilitate direct supplies, technology transfer and the localization of production at pharmaceutical facilities in Uzbekistan.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to hold online negotiations involving Uzbekistan’s Agency for the Development of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Uzbek private pharmaceutical companies and PHARCO Corporation. The Egyptian side also expressed its readiness to send a delegation to Uzbekistan for further discussions.