The government has approved two draft contracts that the Ministry of Health is about to conclude with China's National Pharmaceutical Corporation for Foreign Trade, the cabinet's press service said.

Under the first contract, MOH will purchase 171,429 packages of Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate Tablets 100 mg worth $ 582,858,60.

The second contract stipulates that Bulgaria will purchase 30,000 packages of the medicinal product Azithromycin Dispersible Tablet 250 mg worth $ 46,200.

These products are required for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Based on shared experiences from 19 countries in China and Italy, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, clinical protocol data and recommendations establish that the medicinal products hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin are used in various combinations in the treatment of the disease.

Health Minister Kiril Ananiev said that the rapid spread of the virus worldwide has repeatedly increased the demand for medicinal products, which are reported to have a positive effect on patients and suppress the development of the virus. All countries, including Bulgaria, are having difficulty securing them, which is why, by Order No. RD-01-141 of March 20, the Minister of Health prohibited the export of quinine-based medicinal products in order to meet the needs of the Bulgarian market.

The contracts will be signed as soon as possible.