Philippines Begins Trials For Avigan For 100 Patients
AVIGAN TABLETS – The Philippines begins its trials for Japan’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Avigan on Monday.
For 9 months, 100 patients from four hospitals in Metro Manila would be put on trial to study the efficacy of the Japanese-made anti-flu drug. According to a report from ABS-CBN, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stated:
The list of hospitals will be expanded for us to be able to have these 100 patients who will receive the allocated drugs coming from the Japanese government
Avigan is one of the many COVID-19 candidates being developed worldwide. Among these candidates was Russia’s “Sputnik V” which was reportedly to be given for free. However, President Duterte said otherwise.
Menawhile, Avigan, the brand name for favipiravir, an antivral drug developed by a subsidiary of Japanese firm Fujifilm Holdings Corp would have an “open label, multicenter, randomized comparative study”.
As per the report, the first set of patients would be given prior supportive care available at the hospitals. Afterward, the second group would receive the same care and given doses of the new Japanese antiviral drug.
Along with this, Vergeire added that only patients aged 18-74 may participate in the study. Additionally, contraceptives are required for the trials. This was due to Avigan being teratogenic which may cause birth defects. Meanwhile, P18 million had already been allocated by the government for the clinical trials of Avigan.
Fujifilm Holdings announced last week that it expects to finish trials in Japan around September and would seek approval. By that time, Russia’s Sputnik V also hoped to finish the last phase for their clinical trials.
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