China has announced that Favipiravir, influenza drug which was approved for clinical use in Japan in 2014, can cure the currently raging coronavirus.Information reaching us indicated that China has already completed the clinical research of Favipiravir, an antiviral drug that has shown good clinical efficacy against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
According to the Chinese government official, in a statement today, March 17, Favipiravir, the influenza drug which was approved for clinical use in Japan in 2014, shows no obvious adverse reactions in the clinical trial.
The statement was issued to journalists by Zhang Xinmin, director of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
It was made known that more than 80 patients have participated in the clinical trial in The Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, including 35 patients taking Favipiravir and 45 patients on a control group.
Results are believed to show that patients receiving Favipiravir treatment turned negative for the virus in a shorter time compared with patients in the control group.
A multi-centered randomized clinical study led by the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University also suggested that the therapeutic effect of Favipiravir is much better than that of the control group.
Favipiravir has been recommended to medical treatment teams and should be included in the diagnosis and treatment plan for COVID-19 as soon as possible, Zhang said.
A Chinese pharmaceutical company has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration to mass-produce the drug and ensure stable supply, Zhang added.
Source: Xinhua
