The clinical trials being conducted on a Russian-made drug, Favipiravir, believed to be capable of treating COVID-19, has reached final stage, the testing firms have announced.
In a statement on Thursday, 22 May, 2020, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced that the trial of Favipiravir, which is being facilitated by Russian pharmaceutical investment firm ChemRar, had moved to the final stage in which it is tested on a randomized sample of COVID-19 patients.
Earlier statement by RDIF indicated that the drug, among its advantages, is capable of significantly reducing patient recovery time, and its availability in tablet form, making it easier to use.
“We noticed a faster improvement in the general health and clinical condition of the patients taking Favipiravir, which may lead to earlier discharge from hospital and reduce the burden on medical facilities by 30-40 percent in the near future,” Elena Yakubova, CEO of ChemRar Pharma said.
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The statement added that the planned final stage of the trials involving 330 patients was approved and taken-off on 21 May, 2020.
However, the results of the prior trials showed that the drug has no new or unreported side effects and also play significant role in lowering temperature of the majority of the patients twice as fast as patients not taking Favipiravir.
The COVID-19 possible cure is also capable of eliminating the infections on average four days using compared to nine days with standard treatment
“Thanks to the administration of Favipiravir, most patients are not infectious as early as the fifth day of treatment, which is critical to stop the epidemic and ensure a swift return to normal life,” Yakubova said.
The statement further reported that the earlier trials, which runs for four days, cured 65 per cent of the 40 patients and they were tested negative of which by the 10th day, the recovery increased to 35 patients.
“We continue to receive promising data during the clinical trials of Favipiravir.
“At least 85 percent of patients in the control groups completely recovered from coronavirus within 10 days after the start of the treatment with the drug.
“We expect a positive final result of the trial, which will enable us to complete the registration procedure for the drug in Russia,” RDIF’S CEO Kirill Dmitriev said in the statement.
Countries and firms around the world have mounted initiatives to come up with a viable cure to fight the pandemic which has spread to almost every country in the world causing almost 300,000 fatalities.
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