The Russian Ministry of Health registered the drug Avifavir which is a domestic version of the Japanese drug Favipiravir that is used against severe forms of influenza. This virus buster was produced in a joint venture by the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the ChemRar group and it may turn out to be of vital importance in the battle against this outbreak.
“Avifavir is not only the first antiviral drug registered against coronavirus in Russia, but it is also perhaps the most promising drug against Covid-19 in the world,” said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. “It was developed and tested in clinical trials in Russia in an unprecedented short period of time, enabling Avifavir to become the first registered drug based on Favipiravir in the world.”
Avifavir disrupts the reproduction mechanisms of this virus and it has shown “high efficacy in treating patients with coronavirus during clinical trials,” according to the developers, and a study has revealed that this virus dies in an average of 4 days after a patient takes the drug compared to 9 on a standard course of treatment.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund announced that the 60,000 courses of the drug will be delivered to Russian hospitals in June 2020, with the first expected to arrive on the 11th. Avifavir will not be available outside of hospitals and will only be used under the supervision of a physician. Additionally, due to possible effects on a developing fetus the drug will not be prescribed to those who are pregnant.
