ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani pharmaceutical company will start to manufacture coronavirus drug Remdesivir within two months, said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Friday. “American company Gilead has manufactured this drug and it has proven effective in treating coronavirus patients,” he said during a press conference. “It is said that the use of the drug has reduced the intensity of the coronavirus by 30% in American hospitals [where they were tested].” He further said that as many as five companies around the world had been granted the license to manufacture the drug for the coronavirus patients. He further said that among the five companies [granted the license to manufacture the drug] one of them is a Pakistani company. The special assistant to the Prime Minister said that the medicine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will be available in Pakistan after it is registered within six to eight weeks and manufactured in the country. “The medicine will not only be available for the coronavirus patients in the country but the plan is to export this to 127 other counties around the globe,” Dr. Zafar Mirza said.