[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyun-jung] China has granted emergency approval for two domestically produced oral COVID-19 treatments. This move is interpreted as an effort to expedite medical responses, as reducing the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and ensuring rapid treatment are necessary for economic normalization.
According to local media including China Central Television (CCTV) on the 29th, the China National Medical Products Administration (SFDA) conditionally approved the market release of two domestically developed oral COVID-19 treatments, 'Xiannuoxin' and 'VV116.'
Xiannuoxin was jointly developed by Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Wuhan Institute of Virology and Microbiology, and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The SFDA stated that this treatment has been proven effective and safe for adult patients with mild to moderate symptoms through phase 3 clinical trials.
The developer reported that the viral load decreased by 96% within five days after patients took the medication, and with the approval granted, they will immediately begin mass production of the treatment and supply it through hospitals and online channels.
VV116, developed primarily by the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Xinjiang Physical and Chemical Technology Research Institute, and Central Asia Pharmaceutical Development Center, was one of the most intensively developed COVID-19 treatments in China. It had already received emergency approval as a COVID-19 treatment in Uzbekistan in 2021.
These drugs are expected to be priced lower than Pfizer’s Paxlovid (1,890 yuan, approximately 340,000 KRW), which recently failed to be covered by insurance in China. The developer of Xiannuoxin told the state-run Global Times, "This drug (Xiannuoxin) will be much cheaper than Paxlovid."
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