[ad_1]
The Japanese group Fujifilm announced on Wednesday that its Avigan drug, already authorized for severe flu, has allowed a “statistically significant” reduction in the healing time of patients infected with the new coronavirus.
For the 156 patients included in a phase III clinical trial in Japan, the mean duration of convalescence was 11.9 days for those treated with Avigan and 14.7 days for those in the placebo group. , the representatives of the Japanese company detailed in a statement.
The study in patients with non-severe forms of pneumonia.
In this study, the end of convalescence was defined as the time when the new coronavirus was no longer detected by PCR tests, accompanied by a decrease in symptoms (determined by temperature values, oxygen saturation, lung imaging) .
The clinical study focused on patients diagnosed with non-severe forms of pneumonia associated with COVID-19 disease.
Launched in March and completed in the meantime, the clinical trial revealed no new health risks associated with ingesting Avigan, Fujifilm officials said.
The Japanese group will now carry out a “detailed analysis of the data” obtained through this study and plans to submit “as early as October” an application for a marketing authorization for the drug in Japan, including the statement that it can be used against new coronavirus.
Not recommended for pregnant women.
The oral medication Avigan (favipiravir) has been licensed in Japan since 2014, but only to treat severe cases of the flu for which standard medications have been shown to be ineffective.
Avigan is contraindicated in pregnant women, as studies in animals have shown that it affects the development of the fetus.
The Japanese government, which has relied heavily on the drug in recent months, has asked Fujifilm to increase production and has offered to provide free batches to several countries that want to use it.
Japan already approved in May the Veklury treatment (remdesivir) developed by the American company Gilead and also assured in recent months deliveries of hundreds of millions of doses with various vaccines developed around the world against the COVID-19 disease, according to Agerpres.
