China approves Genuine Biotech's HIV drug for COVID patients (updated)

Kintor Pharmaceutical

25/07/2022 11:46

(Adds details, context throughout)
    BEIJING, July 25 (Reuters) - China on Monday gave
conditional approval to domestic firm Genuine Biotech's Azvudine
pill to treat certain adult patients with COVID-19, adding
another oral treatment option against the coronavirus. 
    The availability of effective COVID vaccines and treatments
is crucial in laying the groundwork for China's potential
pivoting from its "dynamic COVID zero" policy, which aims to
eliminate every outbreak - however small - and relies on mass
testing and strict quarantining.  
    The Azvudine tablet, which China approved in July last year
to treat certain HIV-1 virus infections, has been given a
conditional green light to treat adult patients with "normal
type" COVID, the National Medical Products Administration said
in a statement. 
    "Normal type" COVID is a term China uses to refer to
coronavirus infections where there are signs of pneumonia, but
the patients haven't reached a severe stage. 
    China in February allowed the use of Pfizer's oral treatment
Paxlovid in adults with mild-to-moderate COVID and high risk of
progressing to a severe condition. In 2020, it approved the use
of Lianhuaqingwen capsules, a traditional Chinese medicine-style
formula, to alleviate symptoms of COVID such as fever and cough.
    In a late-stage clinical trial, 40.4% of patients taking
Azvudine showed improvement in symptoms seven days after first
taking the drug, compared with 10.9% in the control group, Henan
province-based Genuine Biotech said in a statement earlier this
month, without providing detailed readings. 
    Other Chinese companies developing potential oral COVID
treatments include Shanghai Junshi Biosciences  688180.SS  and
Kintor Pharmaceutical  9939.HK .

 (Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo
Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter)
 ((hongkong.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; （8610）6627-1277;
Reuters Messaging: roxanne.liu@thomsonreuters.com))