MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. Russia currently supplies the Avifavir anti-coronavirus drug to more than 15 countries, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

"This drug [Avifavir] is supplied to more than 15 countries," he said.

Dmitriev recalled that earlier today the sovereign wealth fund announced the start of supplies of Avifavir to South Africa and a number of Latin American countries. In addition, the drug is supplied to neighboring countries, he added.

Sales of the anti-COVID drug are conducted by Chromis, a joint venture established by RDIF and ChemRar Group. Chromis is also the developer of the drug.

Avifavir is one of the two registered COVID-19 drugs in the world. It also became the first Favipiravir-based drug in the world approved for treatment of COVID-19. It showed high efficacy in clinical trials, disrupting the reproduction mechanisms of coronavirus.

On May 29, Avifavir received a registration certificate from Russia’s Ministry of Health and became the first Russian drug approved for treatment of COVID-19 patients. On June 3, the Ministry of Health included Avifavir in the seventh edition of the guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the novel coronavirus infection.