GPO develops Favipiravir to treat Covid-19

By The Nation

 

 

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) developed its version of Favipiravir – one of the drugs used to effectively treat Covid-19 – in mid-March but is expected to take approximately a year before submitting this medicine for registration, said Nuntakan Suwanpidokkul, the director of the GPO’s Research and Development Institute.

 

The GPO has a management plan to build a sufficient stock of Favipiravir pills to support the sustainable treatment of patients in the country.

According to some forecasts, the Covid-19 pandemic will continue for a period of 1-2 years.

 

FujiFilm Toyama Chemical in Japan submitted an application for production of Favipiravir tablets in Thailand in 2010, but it remains only a patent application.

 

If Favipiravir is granted a patent, it will have a protection period of 20 years. However, a domestic formula can be developed without being hit by any lawsuit. Still, if it is produced for the market, it could be sued for patent infringement. Therefore, a voluntary licensing agreement must be negotiated with the patent owner so the GPO can produce and distribute its drug.

 

Pharmaviravir drugs have been urgently imported from FujiFilm Toyama Chemical and China's Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Company, which received a production licence from Japan.

 

Thailand has imported 187,000 of the tablets and is purchasing another 303,860 in May. The medicines are being distributed to hospitals nationwide.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30387700

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-05-12

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

A vaccine could well be in production by then making this obsolete for covid-19 

 

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

one of the drugs used to effectively treat Covid-19

Encouraging results in some but has not been clinically tested to any sort of standard and a vaccine must be the number 1 goal .. To prevent must be better than trying to cure .. 

so they have just latched onto this without any actual medical evidence it works against CV-19 

 

Puzzling 

• GPO develops Favipiravir to treat Covid-19

 

They should stick to delivering mail.......

The way these go is there's a press release as soon as possible to gain some face and then .... crickets.

What about the "Generic" version out of India ?

1 hour ago, natway09 said:

What about the "Generic" version out of India ?

They are working on that now : 

Indian Generic Maker Glenmark Seeks to Make Japanese Covid-19  Drug 

Glenmark is attempting to make another antiviral drug favipiravir, originally from Japan. Chinese tests on U.S. and Japanese drugs, throw in an Indian generic maker, intravenous disinfectants ... there's quite the mix chasing the elusive Covid-19 "cure".

I've not seen anything that conclusively shows any benefits from being treated with this drug. Looks like a gamble to me at this point.