Doctor Atta announced 24 drugs were shortlisted of which Korean drug nafamostat was the most effective. Nafamostat appears to be 600 times more effective than remdesivir in its antiviral activity in laboratory studies.

Korean drug appears 600 times more effective than remdesivir: Dr. Ata

Korean researchers describe about Korean drug Nafamostat is an anticoagulant that removes thrombosis associated with an acute respiratory distress syndrome and will be effective in improving symptoms such as thrombosis, the main pathology of Covid-19 pneumonia.

Nafamostat, which has several hundred times stronger antiviral effects at the cellular level than Remdesivir, will contribute to putting an end to the Covid-19 crisis , claims Ryu Wang-sik, director of Institut Pasteur Korea. The claim is important because many patients die of blood clotting (thrombosis) as a result of the Covid-19 attack rather than just respiratory failure. The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has formally approved Institut Pateur from going ahead with their clinical trials which will involve 10 hospitals. Since the drug has already been approved in both Japan and Korea as a pancreatitis medication, researchers need not do any animal testing but go ahead with human trials.

Huge efforts are also underway by over a hundred companies worldwide for the development of vaccines to protect us from this virus. This is done by injecting humans with a vaccine that boosts our immune system against the attack of Covid-19. According to the WHO, there are presently seven vaccine candidates that have been tried on humans. Normally vaccine research involves a long process spread over three phases during which the safety, side effects, and ability to induce immunity are carefully assessed. This can take up to 10 years, but fast-tracking the process, as has been done in this case because of the global emergency, can reduce the time period to about 12-18 months.

Probably the most advanced of the seven candidates is that being developed by the Chinese Biotech firm CanSino Biologics jointly with a branch of the People’s Liberation Army. Labeled as AD5-NCOV, it is in phase II clinical trials. Some other Chinese companies are also involved in vaccine development and have successfully completed Phase II trials.

Another related vaccine, ChAdOx1, is being developed by the Oxford group, and they have ordered large-scale manufacture of the vaccine through several manufacturers even before the trials have been completed. One of the manufacturers contracted is the Serum Institute of India. The clinical trials will not be completed before May next year, but the British researchers are hoping to get permission for emergency usage well before completion of the trials if the initial trial results are positive. A number of other vaccines are under development in the US, Germany, and other countries.