CDRI to begin clinical trials of influenza drug

LUCKNOW:Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, will begin clinical trials of the influenza drug Umifenovir on 130 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state capital after getting the go-ahead from the Drug Controller General of India.

The trials will begin in the last week of June. They are aimed at checking the efficiency of the drug in Covid-19 management. Experts are expecting to get the required results in a maximum of three months.

LUCKNOW: Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, will begin clinical trials of the influenza drug Umifenovir on 130 people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state capital after getting the go-ahead from the Drug Controller General of India.

The trials will begin in the last week of June. They are aimed at checking the efficiency of the drug in Covid-19 management. Experts are expecting to get the required results in a maximum of three months.

Confirming the development, CDRI director Tapas Kumar Kundu said, “Umifenovir has a good safety profile and acts by preventing the entry of virus into human cells and also by priming the immune system. It has been in use to cure influenza in countries like China and Russia for over two decades. Our preliminary research shows that it could be a suitable candidate in Covid-19 management. The clinical trials will be aimed to gauge its efficacy.”

CDRI has tied up with King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) and a private medical college for the trials.

“We will conduct a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial of efficacy, safety and tolerability of the antiviral drug,” the director said.

“This basically means that the candidates will be divided in several groups. Some group will be administered Umifenovir while the rest will be given placebo. None of the candidates will know if they are getting the drug or a placebo,” he added.