Aspen could produce 10 mln dexamethasone tablets within a month -CEO

South African pharmaceutical maker Aspen could provide 10 million dexamethasone tablets within a month, CEO Stephen Saad told Reuters on Tuesday.

"Aspen has looked at the short-term needs and can provide 10 million tablets in the next 3 to 4 weeks. We would look to ramp up further should there be a need for additional product," Saad said, without saying how much of the drug the company was currently producing.

Results from a trial showed dexamethasone reduced death rates by around a third compared with a placebo in severely ill hospitalised COVID-19 patients, scientists at University of Oxford said last week, calling the discovery a "major breakthrough".