Hope Is On The Way (Clinical Trial with Good Initial Results)......

[LovingA2andMI]

Japanese flu drug 'clearly effective' in treating coronavirus, says China

"Medical authorities in China have said a drug used in Japan to treat new strains of influenza appeared to be effective in coronavirus patients, Japanese media said on Wednesday.

Zhang Xinmin, an official at China’s science and technology ministry, said favipiravir, developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm, had produced encouraging outcomes in clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen involving 340 patients.

“It has a high degree of safety and is clearly effective in treatment,” Zhang told reporters on Tuesday.

Patients who were given the medicine in Shenzhen turned negative for the virus after a median of four days after becoming positive, compared with a median of 11 days for those who were not treated with the drug, public broadcaster NHK said.

*****In addition, X-rays confirmed improvements in lung condition in about 91% of the patients who were treated with favipiravir, compared to 62% or those without the drug.****

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/japanese-flu-drug-clearly-effective-in-treating-coronavirus-says-china?fbclid=IwAR3ZtI8_wNGBw9RhRbB9uwvGuwQEoMSXjejKG6Dn_h4VA4t9vjfoqgr9gGM

[MFM008]

1. good

More drugs the less money for republican ghouls.

[Thekaspervote]

2. Thx for posting! Dotard won't be able to get his f..kin little fingers on that one either

[Laffy Kat]

3. The name sounds like an anti-viral.

I sure hope it continues to look good. Wonder if they'll fast track it.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. cleaned link ...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/japanese-flu-drug-clearly-effective-in-treating-coronavirus-says-china

[SunSeeker]

5. And doesn't cause heart attacks like chloroquine. Sounds very promising.

[Rstrstx]

6. That's Avigan, an 80s antiretroviral developed by Fuji, a promising but not riskless drug

A small trial that has been around for a couple weeks now suggesting Avigan held promise, joining hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir. Glad to see a wider test done. I believe Japan has offered it to the US for use in trials (I think it is still patented but am not 100% certain).

About the safety thing though, that's not entirely accurate, the drug is suspected to have side effects on pregnant women. In any event it will be a while before it shows up at a hospital near you, the reason hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are being promoted so hard is that they're available in quantity, unlike Avigan or Gilead's remdesivir.

Also, it appears that Avigan looks like some of the anecdotal evidence that's been cropping up around hydroxychloroquine+zinc in that it mostly makes a difference if taken at the onset of the disease and is less useful for severe cases (sort of like using Tamiflu for influenza).

[duforsure]

7. That should be a thorn in trumps side trying to profit with his claimed drug

Watch him downplay it . Every reporter should ask him about it today , and ask him if he knew his drug he's pushed has deadly side effects, and this flu med in Japan doesn't. They should also ask him why he's promoting this drug while owning stocks in it , and has he been given any campaign funds from any companies linked to the production or sales of his drug he's pushing in public. They should make him admit it that he has, and very likely been given payoffs into his campaign to promote this drug. Didn't his former lawyer admit that he had? Media needs to air that daily , not these propaganda rally's he doing daily lying non stop now.

[Make7]

8. Massachusetts to launch first US trial of Japanese coronavirus drug [favipiravir]

April 7, 2020

Three Massachusetts hospitals have received approval to launch the first US clinical trial of a Japanese flu drug that could be used to treat COVID-19, according to a doctor involved in the effort.

The trial — which will take place at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester — was approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration Tuesday. The small, randomized trial of the antiviral drug favipiravir will look to study its effectiveness as a treatment for patients infected with the coronavirus, according to doctors involved in the study.

The Japanese government has touted the drug, known by the brand name Avigan, as a possible treatment for COVID-19 Medical authorities in China have called the drug “clearly effective” in treating coronavirus patients after conducting two clinical trials.

The trial is the latest development in the global race to find effective drugs to treat the potentially deadly illness. It is one of several efforts underway here in Boston and around the world among biopharmaceutical companies and hospitals seeking to deliver new weapons to health care providers battling the virus sweeping the globe.

...

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/07/metro/massachusetts-launch-first-trial-japanese-covid-drug/