Coronavirus drugs selected for clinical trials


Several antiviral drugs with inhibiting effects against the novel coronavirus have been selected by the Wuhan Institute of Virology for potential clinical trials, said the institute affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Wednesday.
A report of the findings has been submitted to the state and the Hubei provincial headquarters coordinating the fight against the epidemic for further study and deliberations to guide clinical treatment, said the institute on its website.
Remdesivir, a medicine for the Ebola virus, Chloroquine, which is used to treat malaria, and anti-HIV drug Ritonavir were jointly found by the institute and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences to be good inhibitors against the coronavirus at cellular level, according to a previous report by Hubei Daily.
The institute said it has also developed a detecting method of the virus based on the identification of IgG and IgM antibodies in serum of patients suspected with infection, which can be a supplementary detecting method to the current nucleic acid testing.
The detection kit has been produced through partnership with Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics, a Guangdong-based bio company, it said.
Shi Zhengli, director of the research center for emerging infectious diseases at the institute, has been leading a task force consisting of 13 experts studying the virus, quick detection and treatment methods, as well as a vaccine against the virus.
As of Tuesday, the coronavirus, provisionally called 2019-nCoV, has infected 5,974 people and claimed 132 lives since its outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province, in December.
- Ancient grottoes in Southwest China survive, thrive via innovative measures
- Macao sees tourism boom during National Day, Mid-Autumn Festival holidays
- Shanghai's Huaxin town showcases rural revitalization efforts
- Taiwan residents flock to mainland during holiday season
- National Day holiday box office exceeds 1.6b yuan
- China rushes farm machinery to key grain belt as rain threatens harvest