Pharmaceutical giant Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd says it has enough capacity to produce sufficient supply of the Dexamethasone vaccine.
The drug has been proven effective in improving the likelihood of survival in patients with severe cases of COVID-19.
Aspen, South Africa’s biggest supplier of drugs, manufactures both the injectable and tablet forms of the drug mainly used for treatment of tumours, asthma and other respiratory ailments.
The Department of Health says government currently has a stock of 300 000 ampoules of dexamethasone and can secure supplies of the drug from local manufacturers.
Aspen says the drug would not burden government’s already-strained budget as the injectable version would cost around R10 while each tablet would cost around R2.
In the video below, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize speaks about the use of the drug to treat patients:
Western Cape gears up to use Dexamethasone
In its battle against COVID-19, the Western Cape says clinical protocols are already being delivered for the use of the drug.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the department is immediately able to offer Dexamethasone to patients on ventilators or who are receiving oxygen.
The province, which is regarded as South Africa’s epicentre, currently sits at 53 512 coronavirus cases, with 1 536 recorded deaths.
The graphic below provides a complete overview of South Africa’s COVID-19 stats and breakdown per province:
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In the video below, the Western Cape outlines readiness for clinical trials:
-Additional reporting by SABC News.
