The United States starts a trial to evaluate antivirals in adults hospitalized with Covid

Los Angeles, (IANS) The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States has announced the beginning of a multi-site clinical trial to evaluate an investigational antiviral for the treatment of Covid-19.

The Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co., Ltd. and the Hokkaido University of Japan jointly developed the drug S-217622, also known as ensitrelvir fumaric acid.

The trial is assessing whether S-217622 when compared to a placebo, can improve clinical outcomes for patients hospitalized for Covid-19 management. According to the Xinhua news agency, it will enroll approximately 1,500 people at sites around the world.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that S-217622 is the first drug to be examined in a fresh, adaptive, worldwide clinical research protocol called Strategies and Treatments for Respiratory Infections and Viral Emergencies (STRIVE).

S-217622 is the first agent examined in a new global, adaptive clinical research procedure, according to NIH.  It is known as strategies and treatments for Respiratory Infections & Viral Emergencies (STRIVE).

“This trial’s results can be used to improve the standard of care for people with Covid-19, which continues to kill hundreds of people in the United States every day. It also helps us in strengthening our pandemic preparedness,” said H. Clifford Lane, deputy director for Clinical Research and Special Projects at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States.

According to him, the STRIVE procedure and clinical research infrastructure “may be used to evaluate new medicines for Covid-19, as well as therapies for other respiratory pathogens.”