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

[WiseElder]

Source: The Gardian

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.

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

[still_one]

1. It isn't an approved anti-viral yet, and is still going through clinical trials, but it seems

prudent to fast tract it

[lagomorph777]

2. We have to get this past Trump's blockade of all help for the pandemic.

Thank you for posting.

[jayfish]

4. Or We Need Not Believe Everything We Read Or Hear.

If this is real and as effective as what's being claimed in this story, it will "come to market". There is one named source in the story espousing the efficacy of this treatment.

[lagomorph777]

8. Yes, skepticism is necessary - 'specially considering China's mixed accuracy record in the Pandemic.

[Tribalceltic]

3. kicking

[videohead5]

5. I think I would take the chance

They say it's safe. Anyone with a bad case of the Coronavirus like the elderly need this drug now.

[jayfish]

6. Who Says It's Safe?

Come on peeps. They just happen to find a miracle cure that, one would assume, treats all coronaviruses? In three months. After a century + of looking for cures to coronaviruses?

[CountAllVotes]

9. A world-re-known pharmaceutical scientist

I once worked for this man. He has 16 honorary doctorates and he is still alive.

He was badgered by drug co. reps and my job in part was to thwart them off.

They all wanted his endorsement for their "new" drugs.

He used to say, "Five years? Five years! Five years is nothing to study a drug, nothing!".

They would walk away sheepishly and they'd call again the next day trying to get an appt. w/him which they would not get.

I know the reality of drugs. Its all about safety and efficacy. Without these two things, you have nothing, nothing at all.

It will take time and money and geniuses like this man I used to work for to find a cure or a treatment.

[oldsoftie]

11. But five years is far too long if you're going to die in 4.

If people with no other hope want to try a drug under testing, let them.

[CountAllVotes]

13. People can let them experiment on them

However, it must be absolutely clear that it is extremely high risk.

They would need to have signed agreements stating that they will not sue them for wrongful death if something goes horribly wrong.

Maybe if some people are willing to do this, it could open the door for a viable treatment or a cure but money isn't going to buy it.

It will be brave people that are willing to sacrifice their lives, that is who.

Grim situation at best no matter how you view it.

[oldsoftie]

17. Yes. And your point about lawsuits is a BIG one.

I doubt any other country has "injury lawsuits" at a rate that we do here in the US.
In the main city near where i live, those personal injury lawyer ads are almost 30% of the ads you see on TV. Its says a lot about the population in this area, because as I travel to other cities I dont see NEAR the same number of ads

[marybourg]

7. British media. Be skeptical.

[Igel]

10. Info about the drug was published yesterday.

It cleared the virus in something like 2 days against 4.x for the control group. It reduced symptoms in something like 75% of the trial group, compared to symptoms, and those who needed serious intervention had the time shortened.

"Cure" it isn't, but it seems to reduce the risk significantly in a small study done by the drug's patent holder.

Problem 1: Not a large group, so if it kills 0.1% of the users it's unlikely that would have been noticed, and if there's a long-term effect (or even an affect a month later) that, too, wouldn't be noticed. Problem 2: The research hasn't been vetted or reviewed, so this is basically self-reported from a group with interest in the results.

It's ready for clinical trials. I assume it's been through the required preliminary safety protocols, but that's just trusting Japan to be a 1st world country.

As for fast-tracking, the US has a horrible track record with fast-tracking when a group says, "We're dying, we need help, now!" The drugs are approved and if/when they wind up being dangerous, there's the backlash: "You killed us on purpose!"

[CountAllVotes]

12. *bingo*

You hit the nail on the head so to speak!

This is the way it works.

Like it or not.

[Bayard]

14. So, why isn't Japan announcing this?

Instead of China?

[cstanleytech]

15. I cannot help but recall the varies scam miracle cures I have heard about not to mention real

drugs or combination of drugs that had promise but later turned out to have high chances of causing lethal side effects like cancer or heart attacks and I am not talking about now.
I mean its been going on for a long longggggg time with varies drugs for varies things.

[BlueIdaho]

16. Fujifilm's drug looks promising...

But clinical trials are essential to keep the chances of long term negative effects at an absolute minimum.