Rabat – The new Mylan Pharmaceuticals Maroc (MPM) factory is valued at MAD 120 million ($12 million). Approximately MAD 60 million ($6.5 million) will be invested by the end of 2019, MPM announced in a press release.
The MPM, the Moroccan subsidiary of the American pharmaceutical giant Mylan Inc., will produce “Myhep All,” a generic medication for the treatment of hepatitis C.
The drug is the first of its kind to provide single-dose antiviral treatment to all strains of hepatitis C. It is currently being imported into Morocco from the Mylan factories in India, pending final authorizations for local production.
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The factory covers 1500 square meters for the production, analysis, stocking and distribution of the drug. MPM intends to expand the factory by 900 square meters, and to also start producing generic treatments for hepatitis B, cancer, and diabetes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 1.2% of the global population suffers from hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus which can lead to lifelong liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. According to WHO, antiviral medicine can cure more than 95% of hepatitis C infections.
In February and April this year, the Moroccan Ministry for Health launched a study to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C across the country, in partnership with the WHO, UNICEF, and local authorities.
