Russia to Roll Out First Approved COVID-19 Drug

Sep, 2020 - By SMI

Currently, there is no approved vaccine for the novel coronavirus and human trials of many existing drugs have yet to show effectiveness against the virus.

From the past two decades, the coronaviruses are spreading across the globe, attacking the respiratory system. They cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to deadly. The recent one is the novel coronavirus, which has made its way to every corner of the world. To date, the virus has infected more than 6.26 million individuals across the globe and has killed more than 375,513 people around the world. In recent history, this has been one of the worst pandemics to hit the world.

Health experts warn that cases and death toll will continue in many parts of the world. However, now, Russia plans to roll out the first approved COVID-19 drug named Avifavir from June 11. The announcement has been confirmed by the Russian RDIF (Russian Direct Investment Fund) head, Kirill Dmitriev. According to Dmitriev, the company will manufacture enough drugs to treat around 60,000 individuals a month. However, Russian scientists have modified a Japanese drug to enhance Avifavir. Currently, there is no approved vaccine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic) and human trials of many existing drugs have yet to show effectiveness against the virus.

Avifavir is the first potential COVID-19 treatment that has been approved by the Health Ministry of Russia. On May 30, it appeared in a government list of approved drugs after clinical trials. Avifavir was first developed in the late 1990s, which was later purchased by Fujifilm, a Japanese company as it switched to healthcare. According to the research published in The Lancet journal, there is no strong evidence that either hydroxychloroquine reduced the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients. Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) has also recommended the discontinuation of hydroxychloroquine testing for COVID-19 treatment.