On September 18, 2020, a press conference was held at TASS (Yekaterinburg) dedicated to the international experience of using the Triazavirin drug to fight against the new coronavirus infection in Russia and China.
Olga Kovtun, a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chancellor of the Ural State Medical University, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor; Valery Charushin, Chairman of the Presidium of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Postovsky Institute of Organic Synthesis, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Chemical Sciences; AlebaySabitov, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology at the Ural State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences; and Alexander Petrov, Chairman of the Board of the Medsintez plant, reviewed the current situation with the coronavirus infection in the Urals. They told about the progress with the Triazavirin development and the experience of using the drug for a variety of infectious viral diseases (influenza, ARVI, coronavirus). Specifically, they revealed the successful completion of Triazavirin clinical trials phases II and III in regard to ARVI. Ural State Medical University's guidelines on treating and preventing the new coronavirus infection using Triazavirinwere provided. Some data on international clinical trials of the drug in regard to COVID-19 was revealed. Also, they told about their collaboration with Yang Baofeng, Academician, President of Harbin Medical University, and the comprehensive program called Health of the Ural Population.
“EvgenyKuyvashev, the Region Governor, personally ordered to conduct the clinical trials in the Sverdlovsk region to assess safety and efficacy of Triazavirin. The international community has shown interest in this drug too. For example, the Harbin Medical University represented by Yang Baofeng, Academician and its President. By now, the Ural can probably introduce itself on the international market as a hub developing not only new antiviral drugs but also wider-spectrum drugs including those for new infections," said Olga Kovtun, Chansellor of the Ural State Medical University, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, opening the press conference.
"With Triazavirin, the way from a lab to pharmacies took as little as seven years. According to international standards, this is a very short time. Typically, the way from synthesis to pharmacies takes 10 years. But we have had a vast background, hundreds of tested drugs. Statistically, only one per 10 thousand candidate substances reaches the finish line. In 2014, Triazavirinwas registered as a drug for viral infections. In 2016, the research of the drug was awarded a scientific prize as the best research in pharmaceuticals. By now, about a dozen scientific papers written by medical professionals have been published. For example, an article recently published in the August issue of the Antibiotics and Chemotherapy journal. It reviews use cases of Riamilovir, i. e. Triazavirin. The article shows that, according to PCR diagnostics, no virus is found in patients on days 10-11 or 14-19. Today, there are two available documents: the interim guidelines issued by our Ural medical community and the guidelines on fighting coronavirus issued in China under the editorship of Academician Yang Baofeng. The June issue of the Engineering journal contains a protocol to be followed during clinical trials in hospitals of the Heilongjiang Province. The conclusion made by Academician Yang Baofeng is that the treatment course is reduced from 12 to 7 days. PCR tests revealed no virus in 92% of the time", said Valery Charushin, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Chemical Sciences.
"On September 3, 2020, the 8th version of the interim guidelines on the treatment of the new coronavirus infection was issued. Of course, it is always interesting to know what can be used to treat the infection. Typically, there are hydroxychloroquine and a whole range of drugs like Avipiravir, Areplivir or Coronavir - clones of Japanese Favipiravir. But our domestic, Ural medication should be on the list of recommended drugs," said AlebaySabitov, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences. "We have launched the research in two areas. First, the clinical efficacy assessment. I mean the city hospital No. 14, Moscow and Krasnoyarsk (Siberia) - everyone uses Triazavirin now. Second, prevention, which is a very important aspect. While the guidelines do not say anything about prevention, we put this into operation too. I really hope that we will be able to show relevant figures by the end of October. Hopefully, the next version of the guidelines will contain Triazavirin.
The Medsintez plant continuously expands clinical indications of Triazavirin. In 2019, we conducted phase II studies on 165 patients. In June 2020, phase III clinical trials in relation to ARVI were successfully completed on 270 patients. The clinical studies involved 11 hospital centres throughout Russia. The clinical studies have revealed Triazavirin's high efficacy in the treatment of ARVIs and proven safety of the drug. The official report was submitted to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, and we expect to add new indications related to ARVI treatment to the drug label by the end of the year. On August 13, 2020, Pharmacentrix, our partner in South Africa, was granted a permission to conduct randomized double-blind clinical trials of Triazavirin in relation to the treatment of the new coronavirus infection in this country. The study involving 380 patients will take place at two centres. The Medsintez plant is able to manufacture up to 21 thousand Triazavirin packages per day to fully cover the demand for the drug during the pandemic. Let me emphasize some fundamentally important points: a clinical trial of Triazavirin in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang as part of its cooperation agreement with the Sverdlovsk region. The studies have shown high efficacy of the drug in relation to the new coronavirus infection, COVID-19. The findings give good reasons to include the drug in the guidelines on the coronavirus treatment under the editorship of Academician Yang Baofeng. Today, an international group is built to further research Triazavirin's effect on the new coronavirus infection. We are happy to receive the first positive results of using our drug from Russian clinical centres where Triazavirinis used with COVID-19 for both preventative and therapeutic purposes. Hopefully, by the end of the year, the medical community will know more results of Triazavirin efficacy studies held both in Russia and abroad," summed up Alexander Petrov, Chairman of Medsintez Board of Directors.