(Dan Tri) – A group of Israeli scientists said that a drug once used to treat HIV has direct antiviral effects against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Codivir drug of Code Pharma company (Photo: Jerusalem Post).
Code Pharma, a company headquartered in the Netherlands but with a research and development office in Israel and whose chief executive officer is Israeli, recently completed a Phase 1 trial of the drug Codivir in the treatment
Codivir’s phase 2 trial is expected to begin next month, with the participation of about 150 patients in Spain, Brazil and South Africa.
According to Zyon Ayni, CEO of Code Pharma, the company’s goal is to complete phase 2 trials within about 3-6 months, then apply for emergency use authorization of the drug.
`During the first and second waves of Covid-19, many drugs with antiviral mechanisms of action were shown to be unable to significantly prolong life,` said Professor Shlomo Maayan, director of the Department of Pathology.
According to Professor Maayan, the drug Codivir has `very high safety and impressive antiviral effects, both in laboratory conditions and in phase I clinical trials on humans`.
`This could be a breakthrough in the field of antiviral treatment for patients with Covid-19,` Mr. Maayan added.
The phase 1 trial was recently completed in Brazil, under the approval of the National Research Ethics Committee (CONEP).
Seven of the volunteers were tested for PCR every two days since they started treatment with Codivir.
Professor Maayan said 5 out of 7 patients showed a large reduction in viral load during treatment with Codivir.
Furthermore, Codivir has also shown to be a safe drug with no significant side effects from the treatment.
Zyon Ayni, CEO of Code Pharma, said that in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic still breaking out around the world, the company is preparing to send urgent approval requests to a number of countries after the process.
`The world is in need of an antiviral drug to fight Covid-19,` Mr. Ayni emphasized.
Along with vaccine development, pharmaceutical companies around the world are racing to develop drugs to treat Covid-19 to diversify measures in the fight against Covid-19.