Russia to Try Antiviral Drug Favipiravir as Coronavirus Treatment After ‘Excellent Results’ in China
Russia is set to test the antiviral drug Favipiravir as a treatment for COVID-19 following “excellent results” in China.
The first batch of the drug is expected to arrive in a week, the state-run Tass news agency reported Tuesday.
Favipiravir is also being tested in other countries as a potential treatment against the novel coronavirus, including in China and the Middle East.
In Russia, Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund—the nation’s sovereign wealth fund—said the government was working with ChemRar Group to invest in Favipiravir.
In an interview with Russia’s Channel One,
Dmitriev added:
“Together with the ChemRar Group, we are investing into a medicine that showed excellent results in China, and the first batch will arrive in one week.”
The U.S.
is also believed to have expressed interest in Favipiravir. According to a report in Politico at the end of March,
the Trump administration
is pushing for the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to grant emergency authorization for its use.
An FDA spokesperson
told Politico they could not comment on whether the agency would issue an emergency use authorization for the drug.
Test batch of antiviral drug Favipiravir to hit shelves in Russia next week
https://www.google.co.jp/amp/s/tass.com/world/1141035/amp
Russia’s RDIF backs ChemRar for the production of favipiravir against