In an interview with IRNA on Wednesday, Saeed Balalaei noted that since March, when doctors and researchers around the world were seeking treatment for COVID-19 disease, the active ingredient of the "Favipiravir" was considered as one of the candidates for the treatment of coronavirus. Its complete preparation and analysis were done in collaboration with Khajeh Nasir al-Din Tusi and Shahid Beheshti universities.
Balalaei, also the winner of the 33rd Kharazmi International Festival, added that Favipiravir with the brand name of Avigan was introduced about 5 years ago by a Japanese company for the treatment of influenza, but since the coronavirus spread, a large number of antiviral drugs, including Avigan, known for their treatment were used.
Balalaei went on to say that in China and Japan, it has been concluded that this active ingredient and the combination of this drug also have a positive effect on the coronavirus, so it is one of the molecules that can be planned for treatment.
The researcher highlighted that during this cooperation, research groups from the Faculty of Chemistry of the Khajeh Nasir al-Din Tusi University of Technology, in cooperation with the Research Institute of Plants and Medicinal Raw Materials of Shahid Beheshti University, jointly completed this work.
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