DOH hopes to start Avigan trial within weeks

DOH hopes to start clinical trials for Avigan, a Japanese antiviral drug, within the coming weeks.

The trial was initially set to begin on September 1 but has been delayed due to pending documents and ethics reviews at participating hospitals.

As of now, three out of four hospitals have not completed their ethics reviews, while the Philippine General Hospital's MOA is under legal review but has an approved ethics review.

Japan donated around 199,000 Avigan tablets in August for use on 100 patients as part of Tokyo’s emergency grant aid to pandemic-affected countries.