Chinese COVID-19 drug enters international trial stage

Chinese media is reporting today that a Chinese COVID-19 drug, called “JS016”, has entered the third phase of clinical trials.

China’s Medicines Regulatory Authority granted permission for developers to run human tests back in June 2020.

According to Xinhua news agency, the patented drug was developed by the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Junxi Biological Sciences Corporation.

According to the Institute of Microbiology, “JS016 has become the first monoclonal antibody to COVID-19 in the world,” to be used for clinical trials on non-infected individuals.

The agency stated that researchers completed multicenter global phase II trials this month, which has shown positive results.

The same source stressed that the early-stage testing “supports the safety and efficacy of the drug,” adding that the drug proved it “can reduce the viral concentration in participants, limiting the possibility of COVID-19 infections turning into a more dangerous condition.”

Yan Jinghua, a researcher with the Institute of Microbiology, said “the drug has been used for emergency treatment in 15 countries, with over 500,000 sent abroad for further testing.”

Jinghua added that the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology has already allocated 3,000 doses of the drug, to treat infected patients in China.

JS016 is not the first anti-COVID-19 drug that’s reached a similar advancement in trials.

American pharmaceuticals manufacturer Merck MSD reported “very encouraging results’’ for this antiviral medication back in early October.

Pfizer made its announcement on November 5, claiming its medication has an 89% effectiveness in preventing the risk of hospitalization or death due to COVID-19, according to early clinical trial results.

British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has also announced successful advanced clinical trials for an antibody-based drug against COVID-19 in high-risk patients, on November 19.