Russia’s Health Ministry approved the country’s first Covid-19 medicine, a generic version of the Japanese flu drug Avigan.
Avifavir, developed by a joint venture of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and ChemRar Group, is designed to disrupt the novel coronavirus’ reproduction and has proven effective in clinical trials.
“Avifavir is not only the first antiviral drug registered against coronavirus in Russia, but it is also perhaps the most promising anti-Covid-19 drug in the world,” Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said in the statement on Saturday. It was developed and tested in clinical trials in Russia in an unprecedented short period of time, enabling Avifavir to become the first registered drug based on Favipiravir in the world.
Russia has the world’s third-highest number of Covid-19 infections, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
