On Thursday, as part of a video conference, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Minister for Innovation and Technology László Palkovics informed themselves about the work of the coronavirus research teams supported by the Ministry for Innovation and Technology. At the video conference, the Prime Minister spoke about the need for the development of Hungarian pharmaceutical production and warehousing.

According to the information of Bertalan Havasi, the Deputy State Secretary heading the Press Office of the Prime Minister, the consultation was attended by Ferenc Jakab, Assistant Professor of the University of Pécs, head of the virology research team, Imre Kacskovics, Dean of the Science Faculty of Eötvös Loránd University, mathematician Gergely Röst, Assistant Professor of the University of Szeged, Zoltán Szilvássy, Rector of the University of Debrecen, János Józsa, Rector of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, biophysician Péter Závodszky, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Batthyány Society of Professors, Erik Bogsch, President of Richter Gedeon Nyrt., drug researcher-chemist György Keserű, and Zsombor Lacza, orthopaedic and trauma specialist, doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

The heads of the task forces outlined the results of their research so far, and provided information about steps and results expected in the near future. Mr Orbán said the epidemic will be long, and the brunt of it has yet to come. There is no vaccine, and there will not be for a long time. He underlined that we needed all possible medicines that could alleviate symptoms of the disease. In Hungary, several drugs are being tested, and there are medicines which we can also make, the Prime Minister added. The task is to accumulate sufficient stocks of medicines in the next few weeks, he said.

(The Prime Minister/MTI)