Investigations into the death of journalist and media host Wael al-Ebrashi have revealed a surprise regarding his coronavirus diagnosis, involving unauthorized drug usage.
The head of the Coronavirus Control Committee of the Health and Population Ministry, Hossam Hosni, said during investigations that Ebrashi was in moderate to severe condition and that the drug used in his treatment was not approved by the Ministry.
The drug, Remdesivir, had not been an approved part of the public treatment regimens at the time, he explained.
He added that the rules governing the usage of the drug require research papers and an approval from the Scientific Committee and the Scientific Research Ethics Committee.
The drug must also be tested by a professor involved in the research in an approved center, following the patient’s consent, Hosni added.
Thus it is not allowed to use the drug as an experimental treatment such as with Ebrashi’s case – even if he had consented before hand.
A controversial passing
Ebrashi passed away in January at the age of 58.
The deceased’s widow made statements to a media outlet accusing his doctor of causing his death after giving him the wrong medications, which the Egyptian Medical Syndicate denied.
Ebrashi was the presenter of “Al-tasea” (the Ninth) show on Channel One, and had subsequently stopped presenting the program over a year prior to his death due to his fight with coronavirus. He contracted the virus at the end of December 2020, and was subjected to home isolation immediately, while following the treatment protocol until his health condition deteriorated in a few days.
He was then admitted to the Zayed Specialized Hospital for treatment after his lung suffered significant deterioration.
