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.
: 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 "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 and Kintor Pharmaceutical.
