MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Medical Biological Agency begins clinical trials of medicines to treat coronavirus-induced pneumonias, the agency’s chief, Veronika Skvortsova said on Monday.
She noted that the coronavirus infection causes pneumonias complicated by a systemic inflammatory reaction, the so called cytokine storm, and an acute respiratory distress syndrome.
“Taking into account the good acceptability and safety of the Dalargin drug it demonstrated during the registration study, the Federal Medical Biological Agency begins its clinical trials in the treatment of acute coronavirus pneumonias associated with breathing problems posing acute respiratory distress syndrome risks,” she said.
According to the agency’s press service, the agency’s experts “have developed a regimen for treating coronavirus pneumonias complicated by difficulty breathing on the basis of the use of Dalargin’s hexapeptide as a delta-opioid receptor antagonist.” Dalargin is registered in Russia as a drug for trophic ulcer healing and protecting organs and tissues (lungs, liver, pancreatic glad). The drug helps to reduce the gravity of the respiratory distress syndrome in comprehensive intensive therapy of multi-organ failure.
“While developing a regime for treating serious coronavirus pneumonias, the Agency’s Biomedical Technologies Research Center, used a model of a fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome in animals,” the press ervice said. “The use of this drug in animal regimen considerably increased the survival rate among animals with acute respiratory distress syndrome. From 70 to 100% of animals survived under different drug use regimen.”
As of April 6, a total of 6,343 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia. As many as 406 patients have recovered. According to data as of 10:30 Moscow time, forty-seven patients died. Two more deaths were reported from St. Petersburg and the Irkutsk region, however these data are yet to be verified. Moscow accounts for the majority of cases (4,484). The Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public informed about the coronavirus situation.
Source: TASS Russia News
