China's health leadership have announced they have found the
Japanese-developed anti-influenza drug, Avigan, to be effective in treating
coronavirus patients.
Zhang Xinmin, China’s director of the National Center for
Biotechnology Development confirmed that the Avigan (Favipiravir) drug was
found to be effective in two clinical trials completed in Wuhan and Shenzhen
involving 320 patients.
During a conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Zhang said the
medicine worked for coronavirus-related symptoms including pneumonia and had no
obvious side effects.
“It has a high degree of safety and is clearly effective in
treatment,” Zhang told reporters.
Patients who were given the medicine in Shenzhen turned
negative for the virus after four days of therapy, compared with a median of 11
days for those who were not treated with the drug, public broadcaster NHK said.
In addition, X-rays confirmed improvements in lung condition
in about 91% of the patients who were treated with favipiravir, compared to 62%
or those without the drug.
The director said he formally recommended the use of this
medicine as a way to treat the COVID-19 disease, which is caused by the
SARS-CoV-2 virus.
According to Zhang, a Chinese pharmaceutical company has
been approved by the National Medical Products Administration to mass-produce
the medication and ensure a stable supply.
Ever since the coronavirus broke out from Wuhan in China
almost 200,000 have been infected and 7,900 have died from the disease.
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