Henan Biotech Ltd officially started production of Azvudine, an anti-COVID-19 oral medicine, after a launch ceremony in Pingdingshan city of the central Chinese province on Tuesday, a milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company's production base in Pingdingshan has passed compliance inspection of drug production quality management specifications organized by the Henan Medical Products Administration in May, indicating the company has gained the license to produce the drug.