Globally, coronavirus has spread to 176 countries and has killed more than 8,900 people.
As the coronavirus pandemic surges through the world which killed over 8,900 people globally, scientists may have found a breakthrough as medical authorities in China have reported that a drug used in Japan to treat influenza appeared to have effectively treated coronavirus patients.
According to an official at China’s science and technology ministry, Favipiravir - an antiviral drug, developed by Japanese firm Fujifilm's subsidiary Fujifilm Toyama Chemical was effective in treating patients, the outcomes of clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen showed.
The trials in Shenzhen showed that patients turned negative for the virus in a median of four days after becoming positive, compared to a median of 11 days for coronavirus patients treated without the drug. Moreover, X-rays confirmed improvements in lung condition in about 91% of the patients who were treated with Favipiravir, compared to those treated without the drug.
The trial involving 340 patients showed that the drug was not only able to decrease the duration of the virus residing in the patient's body but was also improved their lung conditions. It may be noted that patients having coronavirus, suffer from acute respiratory problems as the virus causes pneumonia-like symptoms.
“It has a high degree of safety and is clearly effective in treatment,” Zhang Xinmin, an official at China’s science and technology ministry told the media.
Following the news, shares in Fujifilm skyrocketed.
The drug was developed by the firm in 2014, and in 2016 it was given as emergency aid to tackle the Ebola virus outbreak in Guinea.
However, sources in the Japanese health ministry stated that the drug was not very effective with people showing severe symptoms when the virus has multiplied to a great extent. The vaccine needs government approval for a full-scale use on COVID-19 patients.
So far, no vaccine has been approved which acts as a definite cure to the infection.
Globally, coronavirus has spread to 176 countries and has killed more than 8,900 people.
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 "Japanese flu drug may cure corónavirus, clinical trials show")
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