Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank Announced an Update on a Coronavirus Drug. Minister Varank stated that the domestic synthesis of a drug used in COVID-19 treatment will be completed in June. Speaking on a television program, he provided information about ongoing work on vaccines, drugs and diagnostic kits being developed for the coronavirus.
Minister Varank recalled that, prior to the outbreak, he and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) brought together universities, research centers and private companies across the country to form two consortia focused on vaccines. He explained that those two consortia are organized under the name “COVID-19 Turkey Platform.” So far the platform has supported 17 projects in total, he said, adding that eight of those projects are vaccine studies. At present, three projects are at the animal testing stage, and one project has just started animal trials. He expressed his expectation that vaccine candidates could be ready to move into human trials by the end of the year.
Domestic COVID-19 Drug to Be Completed in June
The domestic COVID-19 drug is expected to be completed in June. While vaccine research continues, Minister Varank noted that drug development projects are also ongoing. He said Turkish scientists conducted various screenings before initiating their own studies, and those screenings produced promising results. According to Varank, the domestic synthesis of a drug currently used by the Ministry of Health in treatment—an agent the minister himself has noted as effective—will be finalized in June. This will allow production of a medicine that was previously imported, reducing dependence on foreign supply through local synthesis.
Regarding diagnostic kits, Minister Varank said they issued a TÜBİTAK Rapid Support Program call for project proposals and decided to fund ten projects in total. He reported that companies are developing tests that deliver results in 30 minutes and that prototypes are expected in June. He also shared that 13 companies in Turkey manufacture polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and that those firms export to around 50 countries.