On May 15, 2020, the Academic Board of the Ural State Medical University approved the instructional guidelines “On Using Triazavirin in Terms of Treatment and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis for the New Coronavirus Infection, COVID-19”.

 

In view of the development of a coronavirus epidemic in Russia and across the Sverdlovsk region and the increase in the number of affected people including medical personnel, any decisions related to medical arrangements and the medical staff protection should be taken promptly and based on the available empirical experience.

 

The guidelines reflect experts' opinion on the use of Triazavirin, a domestic antiviral drug, in causal therapy and post-exposure prophylaxis for a new coronavirus infection, COVID-19, based on their our own experience and research data on the RNA-virus infection treatment.

 

Clinical and post-registration studies of Triazavirin revealed its efficacy and high safety during the treatment of influenza and other ARVIs. The medicine has demonstrated a wide range of antiviral effects. On the premises of the Research Testing Institute of Military Medicine of the Ministry of Defence of Russia and the Influenza Institute of the Ministry of Health of Russia, the effectiveness of adminesteringTriazavirin for influenza A and B viruses (including pandemic strains), the respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza, measles, tick-borne encephalitis and the West Nile fever was proven both in terms of prophylaxis and treatment. Other studies showed Triazavirin's clinical efficacy in groups of patients with influenza and ARVIs who had an unfavourable underlying pathology and belonged to a risk group in terms of a severe or complicated course of a disease. It has been found out that the Triazavirin administration is also effective when a patient seeks medical help at a later stage.

 

In view of the collected and analysed data, which indicates the drug's efficacy and safety in the treatment of diseases provoked by a variety of RNA viruses, the Academic Board of the Ural State Medical University recommends the Triazavirin antiviral drug as the treatment and prevention for the new coronavirus infection, COVID-19. Experts have come up with post-exposure prophylaxis schemes for medical personnel dealing with patients affected by the new coronavirus infection or working in a COVID-19 outbreak site (a family, custodial institution, etc.) as well as to treat adult COVID-19 patients. The schemes are available in the instructional guidelines.