Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd on Thursday said it would start clinical trials in India of antiviral drug favipiravir, seen as a potential treatment for COVID-19, an official said. Sushrut Kulkarni, Executive Vice President for Global R&D, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, said this in an announcement which sent its shares up as much as 9 per cent.
The trials come after a Chinese official told reporters last month that an active ingredient of the drug had been effective, with no obvious side effects, in helping coronavirus patients recover.
Favipiravir is manufactured under the brand name Avigan by a unit of Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Corp and approved for use as an anti-flu drug in the country in 2014.
Mumbai-based Glemark said the approval made it the first pharmaceutical company in India to be given the go-ahead to start trials on COVID-19 patients in the country, which recorded its 1,000th coronavirus-related death on Wednesday.
“After having successfully developed the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and the formulations … Glenmark is all geared to immediately begin clinical trials on favipiravir on COVID-19 patients in India,” Kulkarni said.
Drugmakers across the world have been rushing to develop a treatment or vaccine for the fast-spreading coronavirus that has killed over 220,000 people and ravaged financial markets.
Early clinical trial results on Wednesday from Gilead Sciences Inc’s experimental antiviral drug remdesivir showed it helped patients recover more quickly from the illness caused by the coronavirus.
Glenmark will initially enroll 150 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in a randomised trial that will compare favipiravir with standard supportive care. The trial will last for a maximum of 28 days, it said.
The Drug Controller General of India, which approved the trials, declined to provide more detailed information.
Another Indian pharmaceutical company, Strides Pharma Science Ltd, said on Wednesday it had developed and commercialised favipiravir antiviral tablets, and had applied to the authorities to start trials. Shares of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals pared some gains and were trading up 4.8 per cent at 0540.
It is well
Is it really working? Hope not fake
Same here o
Joseph osawe. Please we need it in Nigeria.
Hope it works perfect
We pray the research work should have positive impact
Amen
Hope is going to work
It good like that
Another Indian pharmaceutical company
Read more at: https://naijapalaba.com/covid-19-cure-glenmark-to-conduct-trials-in-india-for-potential-covid-19-drug/
I pray it works
But we not need am, ah, we need it in our country
I pray it works o because this Covid 19 as spoiled so many things o.
Plenty things o
Yeah
That will be nice
We hope so
The thing should work
To confirm it
This should work without side effects
So hmmm
Lol
Hope it the drug cure it without side effect
Better to test it on themselves there first
We pray it should work
I pray it works🙏🏿🙏🏿
Good
Thanks
For
Sharing
Helpful
Wish them all them all the best
A
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Hope it works
For who
I pray that God will equip them with more wisdom to come up with the vaccine.
Hmmmmm
Make it work
Let’s pray it works
We pray it should work
Good news, hope it works
hope it works
Test before using
So wow
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd?! Those ones are grand high witches in the production of patent potent medicine. They should start clinical trials like yesterday, dang it!
Okay na
Pls do help us
Thanks for the update
I just hope it will yield results
Cool
I pray that it works
Good idea
That’s if it will work
Bless God
I know there must be way out
We shall all see the end
A
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Amen
Hope they do well
They seek for the cure in their country
they should try their best
I pray it work
I pray so too
It is fine and everything will be well someday
God will take control
Victory
Hope its certified by WHO…
Good development. Hope it turns out well
Great development. Am sure victory at last