China News Agency, Tokyo, February 25 (Lv Shaowei Xia Bin) Recently, news on social media said that Japan has developed a new "specific medicine" Avigan for the treatment of new coronary pneumonia. To this end, a reporter from the China News Agency interviewed relevant pharmaceutical companies and integrated the current use of the drug in Japan to decrypt the drug.
Trials cannot be called "specific drugs"
In fact, the effect of Avigan (generic name: Fapilavir) on new coronary pneumonia is being studied, and it must not be called a "specific medicine" at present, and it is not newly developed.
According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) report on February 22, Japan ’s Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Kato told the media that as a flu treatment drug, its effect must be verified, and if it has a certain effect, it will be used in a wider range of medical institutions.
According to Kato, two Japanese medical institutions were preparing for this, and one of them was put into use by patients with new crown pneumonia on the 22nd.
When introducing the drug, NHK stated that the drug had obtained marketing authorization in Japan as early as 2014, but there were concerns about side effects, and it could only be used if other related drugs did not work.
Where did Avigan come from? It is reported that Fapilavir is a new type of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor. It belongs to a broad-spectrum anti-influenza virus drug and was developed by Toyama Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Fujifilm Group.
Toyama Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. filed the earliest compound patent application for fapivir on August 18, 1999, which was later acquired by Fujifilm.
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved its listing in March 2014. The English trade name is Avigan, which is mainly used to treat new and recurrent influenza. It was later listed as a strategic reserve drug for the prevention and treatment of new influenza and H7N9 bird flu.
Japan Current Affairs Agency reported that Avigan is generally not available in the market, and the country has used it as a new flu treatment medicine, with a reserve of 2 million people.
China has long been authorized to test the effect
For most people, Avigan is unfamiliar, but its other name, Fapilavi, is often seen recently, and Chinese companies have already obtained relevant authorizations for Fapilavi.
It is understood that Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Toyama Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan signed an exclusive license agreement for compound patents in June 2016. Hisun Pharmaceutical subsequently signed a technical cooperation agreement with the Poisons and Drugs Research Institute of the Military Medical Research Institute of the Chinese People's Liberation Army to jointly develop the Fapilavi project.
The head of Hisun Pharmaceutical's Medical Department told a reporter from the China News Agency that the current study of Fapilavir for neocoronary pneumonia is only an experimental drug, and its treatment effect needs further experimental verification.
The person in charge revealed that according to the in vitro activity test data of the Military Medical Research Institute, fapilavir can effectively reduce the viral nucleic acid load of the cells of the new coronavirus infection. At all concentrations tested, fapilavir did not change cell viability, that is, it had no toxic effect on cells.
Based on the above experimental basis, and in view of the rapid spread of the new coronavirus, some researchers have urgently initiated the clinical application of fapavivir in patients with new coronavirus.
"If there is more clinical evidence that fapilavir is effective in the treatment of new coronary pneumonia, we will provide more drugs to benefit patients through appropriate channels." The relevant person in charge said.
Just on February 16, Hisun Pharmaceutical's generic favavivir tablets (also known as favivir tablets) were approved for marketing. The indication is for the treatment of new or recurrent influenza in adults (only for other anti-flus). Use when viral drug treatment is ineffective or ineffective).
On the same day, Hisun Pharmaceutical announced that it had obtained the "Pharmaceutical Registration Approval" and "Pharmaceutical Clinical Trial Approval" for fapilavir generic drugs. The clinical trial approval was a test drug used for the research of new crown pneumonia.
In other words, Hisun Pharmaceutical's fapilavir was approved for the market for the treatment of new or recurrent influenza, not new crown pneumonia, but at the same time, fapilavir was approved for clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of new crown pneumonia.
Multiple drugs on trial list
Yan Jiangying, deputy director of the State Drug Administration, said on the 25th that the State Drug Administration promotes the use of products as early as possible for epidemic prevention purposes. The application for drug registration required for epidemic prevention and control shall be reviewed and approved on the basis of product safety and effectiveness.
In the early stage, the State Drug Administration approved five clinical trials of new drugs such as redecive and fapilavide for the prevention and treatment of new coronary pneumonia.
On the morning of February 21, Xu Nanping, deputy minister of science and technology, said at a press conference that there are three large-scale experimental drugs.
The first is Fapilavir, which works well, but experts recommend further clinical investigation.
The second is stem cell therapy, which has treated a total of four severe cases and has been discharged.
The third is the drug Redivevir, which is being researched. The Ministry of Science and Technology arranged the in vitro test of Ridivevir for the first time, showing good tolerance to the virus. Now it is participating in a large-scale study in 10 hospitals in Wuhan. The clinical trials included more than 200 patients with severe cases and more than 30 patients with light cases. (Finish)