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)

The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology on June 28 announced that its Institute of Chemistry has successfully found out a new method for synthesising anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug from Favipiravir in the laboratory.

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

The research, licensing, production and vaccination of COVID-19 vaccines such as Astrazeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson have contributed to effectively containing the spread of COVID-19. However, due to the emergence of new strains that are able to resist vaccines, antiviral drugs are an important supplement to COVID-19 vaccines.

In that context, scientists of the Institute of Chemistry have successfully researched the new method for the synthesis of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug from Favipiravir in the 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 has importantly 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 up the synthesis of the drug in the coming time./.