China tested and approved an effective drug against coronavirus

China has completed clinical studies of the antiviral drug Favipiravir in the field of combating the new coronavirus COVID-19, according to Xinhua news agency. The drug used in flu treatment was approved for clinical use in 2014. It showed good results during clinical trials and no clear side reactions in coronavirus treatment, Zhang Xinmin, director of the China National Biotechnology Development Center at China's Ministry of Science and Technology, said during a press conference in Beijing on March 17. More than 80 patients took part in clinical trials that took place at Shenzhen Third People's Hospital in Guangdong Province in southern China. Of these, 35 patients took Favipiravir and 45 others were in the control group. The results showed that patients who received Favipiravir got rid of the virus in the body much faster than people in the control group. A multi-center random-type clinical trial was conducted at Zhongshan Hospital at Wuhan University, which also showed the drug's efficacy. Favipiravir has been recommended to medical teams to treat patients, and it should be included in the coronavirus diagnosis and treatment plan as soon as possible, Zhang said. Mass production of the drug was approved by the National Administration of Medical Products of the PRC.