Chinese official claims Japanese flu drug is effective in the treatment of the Coronavirus Disease
Things seem to be looking up amid the Coronavirus pandemic, as China's Science and Technology Ministry official Zhang Xinmin reports that the Japanese flu drug Avigan has been effective in helping Coronavirus patients recover more quickly. Could it be the COVID-19 cure the world has been waiting for?
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Avigan, otherwise known as Favipiravir or T-705, is an antiviral drug developed by Toyama Chemical, a subsidiary of the Fujifilm group in Japan. The drug was given approval by Japan in 2014 to be used as a treatment for influenza.
Clinical trials of Avigan in Wuhan and Shenzhen involving 340 patients have yielded positive results. It was able to shorten the recovery time for COVID-19 patients. In Shenzhen, the recovery period shortened from 11 days to four days for mild and regular cases. While in Wuhan, the patients' fever duration reduced from an average of 4.2 days to 2.5 days.
So far, there are no known side effects of Avigan in humans. However, the Japanese flu drug has reportedly caused birth defects during animal testing, and is not recommended for use by pregnant women.
Fujifilm's Toyama Chemical has yet to comment on the Chinese official's claim about Avigan.