Medicines against hepatitis C may be produced in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan discusses possibilities of producing hepatitis C drugs. According to the Dunyo news agency, the meeting in Cairo considered issues of establishing cooperation with the Egyptian pharmaceutical corporation Pharco Corporation.

Uzbek diplomats met with Muhammad Farouk, regional director of Pharco Corporation, and discussed issues of attracting the corporation to cooperation with Uzbekistan, investment, technology transfer, and localization of production of hepatitis C drugs.

Pharco Pharmaceuticals, an enterprise within Pharco Corporation, established in 1987, includes nine organizations with more than 5.7 thousand employees. The corporation's annual sales volume exceeds 345 million packages, and its products are supplied to 57 countries. Pharco occupies a leading position in the Egyptian pharmaceutical market with a 13.2 percent share.

Muhammad Farouk emphasized the corporation’s important role in eliminating hepatitis C in Egypt. The company has launched the production of inexpensive antiviral drugs, such as the generic sofosbuvir called “Gratisovir” and the licensed drug “Ravidasvir”. This has allowed to reduce the cost of a course of treatment from several tens of thousands of dollars to $ 100. The recovery rate of patients after a course of treatment was 99%. Mass delivery of drugs within the framework of the national program has helped to treat millions of citizens, as a result of which Egypt became the first country in the world to receive the official “Gold Certificate” from the WHO for overcoming hepatitis C.

Currently, Pharco Corporation is cooperating with a number of private pharmaceutical companies in Uzbekistan. Within the framework of this partnership, it is possible to ensure the supply of drugs “Gratisovir” and “Ravidasvir”, transfer of technologies and localization of production based on the pharmaceutical capacities of Uzbekistan.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to hold online negotiations with the participation of the Pharmaceutical Industry Development Agency of Uzbekistan, private pharmaceutical companies of the country and Pharco Corporation. Egyptian experts expressed their readiness to send a delegation to Uzbekistan for further negotiations.

**Measures to combat hepatitis C in Uzbekistan**

The Egyptian government has been regularly sending hepatitis C drugs to Uzbekistan as humanitarian aid. These drugs were distributed to patients by the Scientific Research Institute of Virology under the Ministry of Health.

According to the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing and Public Health, Uzbekistan aims to achieve the status of a hepatitis C-free territory by 2030. According to the presidential decree, which came into force on January 1, 2026, it is planned to increase the funds allocated for the early diagnosis of viral hepatitis C and B and the organization of special anti-viral treatment to 6,921.9 billion soums in 2026, 7.280 billion soums in 2027, and 7,790.5 billion soums in 2028.

In January 2026, at a videoconference meeting chaired by Shavkat Mirziyoyev, it was announced that a large Egyptian company had proposed to produce a drug against hepatitis C in Uzbekistan. The President instructed officials to launch this project.