Russia's Federal Medical, Biological Agency permitted to conduct clinical trials of coronavirus medication
MOSCOW. Dec 30 (Interfax) - Russia's Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) will begin clinical trials of a coronavirus medication that has shown 99% efficacy during preclinical trials, the agency's press service said.
"FMBA was permitted by the Russian Health Ministry to conduct a clinical trial of a medication for the treatment of Covid-19," the FMBA press service said in a statement released on Wednesday.
As part of the first phase of trials, it is planned to explore the safety and tolerability of the medication on healthy volunteers. The research will be carried out at the Institute of Immunology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency. Now, the testing center is preparing for clinical trials, and volunteers are being recruited.
"If clinical trials confirm the effectiveness of this medication, it will be the first safe, effective, direct-acting antiviral drug, which so far has no analogues in the world," FMBA head Veronika Skvortsova said at a working meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
The preclinical studies of this drug show that it is completely safe, as it does not affect the body or human immunity and demonstrates over 99% efficacy in animals, Skvortsova said. The drug interferes with the reproduction of the virus, it is assumed that it will be used as a solution in a nebulizer several times a day.
"The drug specifically turns off the activity of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and kills it, not just dealing with the symptoms of the disease," the FMBA statement said.