Costa Rican scientists manufacture pills for the treatment of covid-19

The pill decreases the hospitalization period and reduces the possibility of a patient going from a serious to very serious condition.
- University of Costa Rica courtesy photo

Published Monday, August 10, 2020

Costa Rican scientists manufacture
pills for the treatment of covid-19

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Institute of Pharmaceutical Research of the University of Costa Rica (INFAR) announced that it has produced the first tablets of the drug called Favipiravir in doses of 200 mg, for the treatment of patients with covid-19.

In an interview with the University, German Madrigal, director of the institute, explained that the drug is a low-risk inhibitor, except for pregnant women. Also, it has been shown that its use decreases the hospitalization period by 35% and reduces the possibility of a patient going from a serious to very serious condition by 30 percent.

The pill treatment is an antiviral that was originally developed for the treatment of influenza. "Although not all clinical studies have been concluded, everything indicates that it inhibits the multiplication of the virus," the University said in its statement.

This drug is not yet on the market. It is expected that when it is approved for the treatment of covid-19 many countries will require it, so the institute decided to start its production early so that the country can be self-sufficient in regard to this treatment.

The next step "is the strict quality control to guarantee the safety and efficacy results that have been proven in clinical studies internationally for this new drug against covid-19," the institute said in its statement.

According to the institute, dozens of clinical studies are being carried out around the world to demonstrate the effectiveness of the drug, which is already approved in Russia, China, India and Japan.

This is the second type of treatment developed by scientists at the University of Costa Rica. The first treatment was developed by scientists of the Clodomiro Picado Research Institute. It consists of plasma approved in July by specialists from George Mason University in Virginia, United States, as treatment capable of inhibiting the infectivity of the SARS-Cov2 coronavirus, which produces the covid-19.

For more detailed information on plasma see the article published in July "U.S. specialists confirm a successful treatment against covid-19 made in Costa Rica.”

Scientists are racing against time to find a cure for covid-19 while Costa Rican authorities report an increase in newly infected cases as well as deaths due to the virus.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Ministry of Health provided the following statistics on the status of the virus in the country:

• 484 new covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 15,321 active cases. The ages of patients infected range from a three-month-old baby to a 100-year-old person.

• 6,151 foreign-born people have been infected of the 23,286 cases since March, approximately 26% of the total cases.

• 376 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 86 patients are in Intensive Care Units with delicate health conditions, 290 patients are in recovery rooms. Most of the infected patients are quarantined in their homes.

• 7,730 coronavirus patients have fully recovered, which is a 33% recovery rate.

• 69,509 people have been ruled out.

• 105,915 medical covid-19 tests have been made.

• 235 deaths of patients infected with covid-19 since March. Which is a 1% death rate. Of these 86 were women and 149 men. The ages range from 23 to a 99-year-old person.

On July 30, authorities reported 30 foreign-born people had died from covid-19 since March, at the time it was 22% of virus-related deaths. However, the ministry confirmed that they will not continue providing information on the number of foreign-born people who die from covid-19 in the country.

Readers can see the updated number of total patients in each district at the National Distance Education University on its Covid-19 Map.

As of Sunday night, the pandemic has killed 731,326 patients worldwide, according to recent statistics reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

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Should health authorities speed the application of the plasma treatment to more covid-19 active patients? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com