Chinese scientists named an effective drug for coronavirus

Another breakthrough in the treatment of the insidious COVID-19 was announced by Chinese doctors. Thus, Favipiravir, also known as Avigan, has shown clinical effectiveness in the treatment of diseases caused by a new type of coronavirus, the correspondent of tvbrics.com reports with reference to tass.ru.

Studies conducted by Chinese scientists showed that patients who had received Favipiravir recovered faster, their lung condition improved much faster. Favipiravir has already successfully passed clinical trials and was approved for sale in Japan in 2014, said Zhang Xinmin, Head of the Center of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.

Thus, the drug has proven itself well based on the results of recent clinical trials conducted in China. A study was conducted with 80 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of a new type of coronavirus. 35 people from this number received Favipiravir for treatment.

The experiment showed that those who had taken the drug tested negative for coronavirus four days after the start of treatment, while it took an average of 11 days for the rest of the control group took to recover. Moreover, lung condition of almost all 35 patients became noticeably better.

Due to its effectiveness and availability, the drug was officially recommended to doctors for inclusion in the treatment plan for coronavirus infection.

However, there is no consensus among the medical community of different countries regarding the effectiveness of the drug yet. For example, the Ministry of Health of Japan suggests that Favipiravir is not very effective for treating people with severe symptoms. Also, Japanese doctors are not sure about the safety of the drug for pregnant women.

As Alyona Glushakova, Chief Doctor of the South-Eastern cluster of Doktor Ryadom clinic chain, General Practitioner, has reported to the correspondent of tvbrics.com that the drug is unknown in Russia and has not been approved. While the drug is being tested, there is no accurate information about its actual effectiveness.

"Time will show how things will be in the future with this drug. Let's hope that scientists will be able to find an effective means to combat the new coronavirus," said the expert.

Previously, the World Health Organization recommended using paracetamol for treatment of COVID-19. As Christian Landmeier, a WHO spokesman, noted that referred not to specific treatment, only to relieving the symptoms of the disease.

But ibuprofen, which is also often used to reduce the temperature, is not recommended to use without a doctor's prescription.

"In the course of recent scientific research, it has been found that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can worsen the development of the disease. Such medications reduce the response of the human immune system. For many people, that was a revelation and even a shock. To reduce the temperature, it is recommended to take paracetamol," explained Alyona Glushakova.

Doctors point out that it is useless to take paracetamol for prevention of the disease or with an asymptomatic course thereof.

Recall that currently the world is actively developing an effective vaccine against coronavirus, including in Russia. Thus, scientists from Kazan Federal University initiated the creation of a vaccine against COVID-19; their colleagues at the Department of Virology of Moscow State University also announced their breakthrough development. 


Photo: novinky.cz