China National Center for Bitechnology Development confirmed a good news last Tuesday, March 17, about an influenza medicine developed by a Fujifilm Holdings group, a company from Japan who participated on creating vaccines to fight against Corona Virus (COVID-19). Fully developed by Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, the vaccine is officially called as Favipiravir, sold under the brand name Avigan.
"It is very safe and clearly effective," shared Zhang Xinmin, the Director of the Science Ministry's China National Center for Biotechnology Development, in a news conference.
Faviparavir was first discovered in 2014. And has become one of the main drug administered to corona virus patients in Japan since February.
After several examinations conducted on 200 patients at hospitals in Wuhan and Shenzhen, Results have shown that patients who took the drug tested negative in a short period, while the results with pneumonic symptoms have remarkably reduced.
On results on COVID-19 positive patients, those who took Favipiravir showed negative results after four days of intensive medications, compared to the usual 11 days in the control group, according to Zhang.
When asked about the side effects, the director stated there was yet no clear side effects upon taking the drug.
Meanwhile on another conducted test on a separate hospital in Wuhan, they revealed that patients treated with Favipiravir have more faster recovery from fever, in an average of 2.5 days unlike 4.2 days for other patients who did not take Favipiravir.
Meawhile amids China's positive claims towards the newly developed vaccine, Japan has the total contrasting results where their researchers have claimed that Favipiravir may cause deformities and fetal deaths once taken and it can also be easily transferred in semen.
SOURCE: asia.nikkei