The incidence of Hepatitis C for people between the ages of 15 and 59 has dropped to 7 percent, down from 10 percent in 2008, Egyptian Health Minister Adel el-Adawi said on Tuesday.
Adawi attributed the "success in reducing incidence rates" to the provision of treatment and to disease prevention policies, during an event marking World Hepatitis Day, observed annually on July 28.
Adawi said more than a million patients have registered for treatment on a government website. The ministry of health launched a website last September, where patients can apply for the Hepatitis Cmedication Sovaldi.
Sovaldi, produced by American firm Gilead Sciences, raises to a great extent the chances of being cured from Hepatits C, according to medical research.
Earlier in 2015, eight Egyptian companies started to produce Sovaldi locally and four more companies are expected to join in, before the end of the year.
Prior to the local production of the pill, Sovaldi was imported and available in pharmacies and treatment centres belonging to the Egyptian committee to combat hepatic viruses, set up by the government.
However, the imported medication was far more expensive and unaffordable for many.
Adawi has previously described Hepatitis C as "one of the most dangerous threats to Egypt".
According to the World Health Organization, Egypt has a "very high prevalence" of the disease and "higher rates" compared to "neighboring countries as well as other countries in the world with
