Researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital are set to start clinical trials of an anti-viral drug called remdesivir for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. That was the word from the Central Epidemic Command Center on Wednesday. Although the experimental drug was developed to treat people with Ebola, it has shown promise with a COVID-19 patient.
The news comes as different group of researchers announced that they are one step closer to being able to mass-produce remdesivir.
Researchers at Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) announced on Wednesday that they’ve managed to synthesize 1 gram of remdesivir, a drug that’s shown promise in fighting COVID-19.
Researchers have worked around the clock to increase the quantity from just 1 milligram five days ago. Now, with one gram, they can pass on the technology to a pharmaceutical manufacturer. Once the manufacturer produces a kilogram of remdesivir, with approval, the drug can enter mass production.
But what about the side effects? Dr. Chen Chiong-tong, the head of the research team at NHRI, says that clinical tests in China have already entered the third phase. There are more patients being tested there, he says, so we will soon know more about the efficacy and side effects of the drug.