Philippines starts nine-month clinical trial of Avigan for COVID-19 patients

August 17, 2020

The Philippine government started a nine-month Avigan clinical trial Monday in four  hospitals with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients.

In a virtual press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said:''We started already today in four hospitals. The Philippine General Hospital, Sta Ana Hospital, Jose N Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, and Quirino Memorial Medical Center."

"We started with the four but we will, of course, expand to other hospitals for us to be able to reach the 100 patients," she added.

Vergeire said the clinical trial will run for at least nine months.

"We will start now and submit the results after nine months whatever findings we will have by then," said Vergeire.

 Avigan (favipiravir) is an anti-viral drug used to treat influenza in Japan. It is being studied as a otential treatment for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Meanwhile, East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) opened its six-story Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease (CERID) for severe and critical cases of COVID-19 in Metro Manila.

In a statement, EAMC Medical Center chief Alfonso Nuñez said the CERID will have its own emergency room for  up to 40 patients;  an operating room plus labor and delivery room to cater to COVID-19 patients that need to be treated for other medical conditions; two intensive care units (ICU) that can accommodate up to 30 critical patients, equipped with 8 - 10 hemodialysis units; ward type rooms and isolation rooms.

He said there is an infirmary for health care workers who may contract the disease. DMS