Vietnam successfully synthesises anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug

Scientists from the Institute of Chemistry are conducting research in the laboratory (Photo: the Institute of Chemistry)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Academy ofScience and Technology on June 28 announced that its Instituteof Chemistry has successfullyfound out a new method for synthesising anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug from Favipiravir inthe laboratory.

The result will contribute to joint efforts of Vietnamese scientists inresearching drugs, vaccines and biological products to serve COVID-19prevention and control.

The research, licensing, production and vaccination of COVID-19 vaccines suchas Astrazeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson have contributed toeffectively containing the spread of COVID-19. However, due to the emergence ofnew strains that are able to resist vaccines, antiviral drugs are an important supplementto COVID-19 vaccines.

In that context, scientists of the Institute of Chemistry have successfully researchedthe new method for the synthesis of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug from Favipiravir inthe lab.

With an action mechanism similar to Remdesivir but it is administered orally,Favipiravir was first used against SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China. This drug hasimportantly contributed to preventing the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries,including Italy, Japan, and Russia.

The Vietnamese scientists are hoped to perfect their research, thus scaling upthe synthesis of the drug in the coming time./. 

VNA