Egypt is currently experiencing a state of controversy following the death of the media figure Wail El-Ebrachy, who succumbed to complications from a COVID-19 infection. This controversy was fueled by his treating physician's admission that he prescribed Sofosbuvir, a medication intended for Hepatitis C treatment, which led the public prosecutor to initiate an investigation.
El-Ebrachy's wife filed a complaint with the public prosecutor's office, demanding an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her husband's death and accusing the treating physician of causing his death by administering a non-standard medication that is not part of the Egyptian Ministry of Health's COVID-19 treatment protocols.
The treating physician, Dr. Sherif Abbas, a consultant in hepatology, gastroenterology, and infectious diseases at the Liver Institute of Menoufia University, spoke to local media, confirming that he indeed prescribed Sofosbuvir to El-Ebrachy, escalating the controversy.
According to "Sky News Arabia," El-Ebrachy's case was not the only incident where Sofosbuvir was used as a treatment for COVID-19 by the same physician. Dr. Sherif Abbas led a team of 20 other researchers in conducting a clinical study involving 120 COVID-19 patients through the administration of Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir. This study was published on August 21 in the English journal “Journal of Medical Virology” and was conducted in four government hospitals: the National Liver Institute at Menoufia University, Menouf Fever Hospital, El Mahalla Fever Hospital, and Shebin El-Kom Fever Hospital, during the period from September 2020 to March 2021.
The study included 136 COVID-19 patients in the mentioned hospitals; however, 14 were excluded due to contraindications, and two patients withdrew their consent to participate, bringing the total to 120 patients who met the criteria and agreed to partake in the study. The study adhered to the Helsinki Declaration for clinical trials and followed the protocols of the World Health Organization, conducted with the approval and supervision of the Egyptian Ministry of Health's ethics committee. The trial was registered in the ISRCTN registry under the registration number ISRCTN 21085622.
The study concluded that Sofosbuvir yielded impressive results in treating COVID-19 patients, notably reducing the need for intensive care unit admission. The study was funded by the Egyptian branch of a pharmaceutical company, which employed several of the researchers, along with a researcher who received funding from the same company, as indicated in the published study.
Upon the study's publication, Sky News Arabia contacted Dr. Sherif Abbas, the principal investigator, who confirmed that Sofosbuvir achieved a success rate of 100% in treating moderate COVID-19 cases and 70% for severe cases. Dr. Abbas also stated that they submitted a request to the ethics committee at the Ministry of Health and the scientific committee addressing COVID-19 to include Sofosbuvir in the COVID-19 treatment protocols, but they received no response. Therefore, Sky News Arabia chose not to publish this information until an official statement from the Egyptian health authorities on the status of this medication regarding COVID-19 treatment was released.
