Thailand racing to stockpile Favipiravir ahead of possible second outbreak

[snoop1130]

Thailand racing to stockpile Favipiravir ahead of possible second outbreak

By THE NATION

 

 

The government is stockpiling almost 400,000 doses of Favipiravir – an antiviral drug touted as a treatment for Covid-19 – in case of a second-wave outbreak while pushing domestic manufacture to reduce reliance on imports.

 

“The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation [GPO] has imported 187,000 tablets of Favipiravir from Japan and China – 100,000 have been delivered to hospitals nationwide while the GPO has stored 87,000 as a reserve, said Nuntakan Suwanpidokkul, director of the GPO’s Research and Development Institute, on Tuesday (May 19).

 

“By the end of May we will receive another batch of 303,860 tablets that we ordered, which will increase our reserve to nearly 400,000 tablets, enough to treat patients in case there is a second wave of outbreak.”

 

Treatment of each Covid-19 patient requires up to 70 tablets of Favipiravir.

 

Nuntakan added that the GPO is researching techniques to efficiently manufacture Favipiravir domestically to reduce reliance on expensive imports.

 

“We expect the semi-industrial-level manufacturing to begin by early 2021, but it will take another year or so after that to perform clinical tests and register the drug. So, the domestic version of Favipiravir should be ready for public use by 2022, at the earliest.”

 

She revealed the GPO is working with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) on research into ways to synthesise raw materials to manufacture Favipiravir.

 

“The research is showing promising results and should complete within 3-6 months, after which we will be able to further reduce the cost of manufacturing the drug by using local raw materials,” she added. “The GPO is considering investing in more advanced manufacturing facilities to cope with high demand for Favipiravir in the future, as well as to manufacture other drugs for domestic consumption.”

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30388128

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-05-19

 

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[YetAnother]

14 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The government is stockpiling almost 400,000 doses of Favipiravir

it DOES work, right ?

[Laza 45]

10 hours ago, YetAnother said:

it DOES work, right ?

From Wikipedia:  

In February 2020, favipiravir was being studied in China for experimental treatment of the emergent COVID-19.^[17][18] Trials are also being planned in Japan.^[19]

A study on 80 people in comparison to lopinavir/ritonavir found that it reduced viral clearance time, and that 91% of people had improved CT scans with few side effects. The limitation of this study was that it was not randomized double-blinded and placebo-controlled.^[20][21]

The drug has been approved for use in clinical trials of coronavirus disease 2019 in China.^[16] In March 2020, Italy approved the drug for experimental use against COVID-19 and has begun conducting trials in three regions most affected by the disease.^[22] The Italian Pharmaceutical Agency, however, has reminded the public that the existing evidence in support of this drug is scant and preliminary.^[23] There are plans to study it in three hospitals in Massachusetts, USA as of April 20, 2020.^[24] As of early May 2020, a trial is starting in London, UK ^[25]

[scubascuba3]

It doesn't seem like a life saver but reduces the number of days in hospital

[Srikcir]

Not clinically proven, so why purchase now? 

400,000 tablets requiring 70 tablets per person treated - comes to less than a total of 5,600 people who can be treated. Seems a bit short on stockpile for the nation.

[2 is 1]

They bla bla bla bla bla about second wawe even nobody ever seen first wawe!!! 

Little over 3000 infected, wawe????? Where in Jomtien beach???!!!

Edited May 20, 2020 by 2 is 1

[Jingthing]

8 minutes ago, 2 is 1 said:

They bla bla bla bla bla about second wawe even nobody ever seen first wawe!!! 

Little over 3000 infected, wawe????? Where in Jomtien beach???!!!

Thailand has done relatively very well and that's great but those numbers are clearly an undercount. The only question is how much of an undercount. 

 

Thailand isn't an island. Thailand isn't New Zealand. 

 

As long as there are any nations where this virus isn't under control and there are many Thailand remains vulnerable. 

 

The health authorities here seem to get that. Complacency is dangerous. 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Jingthing

[hotchilli]

16 hours ago, YetAnother said:

it DOES work, right ?

 

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

an antiviral drug touted as a treatment for Covid-19

 

[Curmudgeon1]

38 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Not clinically proven, so why purchase now? 

400,000 tablets requiring 70 tablets per person treated - comes to less than a total of 5,600 people who can be treated. Seems a bit short on stockpile for the nation.

Considering the first wave was barely 3000. Imo, it sounds about right. 

[Caldera]

So they make a great effort to stockpile a drug that is somewhat effective at best and completely useless at worst. Why not invest in improving contact tracing and testing? Cheaper and more effective!

 

[JGV]

2nd most important question How much is it

[phantomfiddler]

Call me old fashioned but I have found that a half a lemon, WITH THE SKIN ON, in a blender with honey and hot water, works much better than anything I ever got out of a pharmacy. Don,t try it without the honey, because it tastes revolting ????

[Almer]

So enough for 5714 patients. 

[Almer]

Just now, phantomfiddler said:

Call me old fashioned but I have found that a half a lemon, WITH THE SKIN ON, in a blender with honey and hot water, works much better than anything I ever got out of a pharmacy. Don,t try it without the honey, because it tastes revolting ????

I have that every evening after a bout of stones a few years ago

 

59 minutes ago, 2 is 1 said:

They bla bla bla bla bla about second wawe even nobody ever seen first wawe!!! 

Little over 3000 infected, wawe????? Where in Jomtien beach???!!!

They are worried what will happen when they open the gates, its outside Lol is the risk now not inside.

[thequietman]

27 minutes ago, Caldera said:

So they make a great effort to stockpile a drug that is somewhat effective at best and completely useless at worst. Why not invest in improving contact tracing and testing? Cheaper and more effective!

 

This shouldn't have to be pointed out to you, however - if you were to buy apples at 10 baht each, but invoice them as having cost 100 baht per apple, then you would make a very tidy profit.

 

Where's the opportunity to make money in contact tracing? ????

[Cake Monster]

7 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

Call me old fashioned but I have found that a half a lemon, WITH THE SKIN ON, in a blender with honey and hot water, works much better than anything I ever got out of a pharmacy. Don,t try it without the honey, because it tastes revolting ????

Rough Cider with Ginger does for me.

But this is Thailand and short of Rough Cider, so Lemons are used instead, and it works.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Not clinically proven, so why purchase now? 

400,000 tablets requiring 70 tablets per person treated - comes to less than a total of 5,600 people who can be treated. Seems a bit short on stockpile for the nation.

Why is it small? It is almost double the number of people who have been infected and hospitalised up to now. 

[Kasset Tak]

5 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Not clinically proven, so why purchase now? 

400,000 tablets requiring 70 tablets per person treated - comes to less than a total of 5,600 people who can be treated. Seems a bit short on stockpile for the nation.

If it turns out that it doesn't work with the coronavirus, then it at least works against the seasonal flu and a bunch of more nasty RNA viruses out there... so having a stockpile of it might not be a bad idea. A stupid idea would be stockpiling chloroquine as it's proven to not work, and there are newer and (probably) better medicines for malaria. And someone taking chloroquine to prevent COVID-19, even thou it's proven to not work against COVID-19 must be a complete idiot, or president of the USA...

[rken2]

I have been stock piling MMS, it kills all virus's. Cured me of Dengue twice in less than 6 hrs. and it is cheap. Probably why the suppress info on it.

[Orton Rd]

22 hours ago, rken2 said:

I have been stock piling MMS, it kills all virus's. Cured me of Dengue twice in less than 6 hrs. and it is cheap. Probably why the suppress info on it.

Info is not supressed on it

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_Mineral_Supplement

 

MMS is falsely promoted as a cure for HIV, malaria, hepatitis viruses, the H1N1 flu virus, common colds, autism, acne, cancer, and much more. The name was coined by former Scientologist^[9] Jim Humble in his 2006 self-published book, The Miracle Mineral Solution of the 21st Century.^[10] There have been no clinical trials to test these claims, which come only from anecdotal reports and Humble's book.^[11][12] In January 2010, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that one vendor admitted that they do not repeat any of Humble's claims in writing to circumvent regulations against using it as a medicine.^[13] Sellers sometimes describe MMS as a water purifier to circumvent medical regulations.^[14] The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies rejected "in the strongest terms" reports by promoters of MMS that they had used the product to fight malaria.^[15] In 2016, Humble said that MMS "cures nothing".^[16] In August 2019, the Food and Drug Administration repeated a 2010 warning against using MMS products, describing it as "the same as drinking bleach".

Edited May 21, 2020 by Orton Rd