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Russian Health Ministry approves first domestic drug for COVID-19

31 May 2020 04:13 (UTC +04:00)

The Russian Health Ministry has approved the first domestic drug, called Avifavir, for treating coronavirus patients, according to a new entry to the national drug registry, APA reports quoting Sputnik.

The medicine was developed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), a sovereign wealth fund, and ChemRar, a Russian pharmaceutical investment and R&D group.

“Avifavir is not only the first antiviral drug registered against coronavirus in Russia, but it is also perhaps the most promising anti-COVID-19 drug in the world. It was developed and tested in clinical trials in Russia in an unprecedentedly short period of time enabling Avifavir to become the first registered drug based on Favipiravir in the world”, CEO of the RDIF Kirill Dmitriev said.

The final stage of Avifavir clinical trials involving 330 patients, approved by the national Health Ministry earlier in the month, is ongoing.

Previously, the new drug underwent several clinical trials at I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, and other medical and academic institutions.

Avifavir, is the first Russian direct antiviral drug that has proven effective in clinical trials. The drug has been used in Japan since 2014 against severe forms of influenza.

In April, the Russian Direct Investment Fund launched a project to diagnose and detect pneumonia, including that caused by the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus.

ChemRar Group includes R&D service and investment companies in the field of innovative pharmaceuticals for the development and commercialization of innovative medicines, diagnostics, preventive care, and new treatments of life-threatening diseases in Russia and abroad.

The latest data by the Russian Health Ministry shows that more than 396,000 cases of the coronavirus and 4,555 fatalities related to the disease have been confirmed in the country.