Three existing drugs that showed promise in inhibiting the novel coronavirus in vitro have entered human trials in China, and early results have showed that some patients are seeing noticeable improvement, Zhang Xinmin, head of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development, said on Feb 15.
The three drugs are anti-malaria drug chloroquine, anti-flu drug favipiravir, and experimental drug remdesivir, he said, adding they were selected from 100 others after demonstrating great promise when used in experiments on infected cells in a controlled lab environment.
Chloroquine is an established drug, meaning its safety has been thoroughly validated. The drug is being tested on over 100 patients in more than 10 hospitals in Beijing and Guangdong province, with a trial in Hunan province also in the pipeline. Early clinical results show chloroquine has some therapeutic effect against novel coronavirus pneumonia, Zhang said.
As for favipiravir, another widely used drug, a 70-patient clinical trial is taking place in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The drug has been shown to be effective against the virus, with slight side effects.
A generic version of the drug－as its 20-year patent period ended in August－was approved by China's National Medical Products Administration on Saturday, according to the government of Taizhou, Zhejiang province. Hisun Pharmaceutical, a company based in the city, has begun manufacturing the drug.
Remdesivir is an experimental drug created by United States biotech company Gilead Sciences to combat Ebola. It is being tested in over 10 medical institutions in Wuhan, Hubei province, Zhang said. "We are looking forward to seeing the clinical results soon," he said.
Source: China Daily
