COVID-19 Drug Pipeline

▶ Azvudine

Azvudine, a Class 1.1 innovative drug, was conditionally approved by the NMPA for the treatment of COVID-19 in July 2022. Azvudine was the first NMPA approved oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 developed by a Chinese company, demonstrating outstanding efficacy in treating viral infections. It not only inhibits viral replications but also enhances immune function, achieving a dual effect of “addressing both symptoms and root causes”. With cumulative sales exceeding 10 million bottles, the safety profile and efficacy of azvudine have been validated by real-world data and supported by 70 research papers published by independent third parties. 

In the Phase III clinical trials in China and Russia, azvudine demonstrated clear clinical benefit in COVID-19 patients. Azvudine demonstrated significant benefits in clinical applications: it not only significantly alleviated clinical symptoms of patients with COVID-19 by reducing patients’ viral load and shortening hospitalization time, but also effectively lowered the risks of all-cause mortality and composite disease progression. In addition, azvudine has few drug interactions making it a safe option for patients with pre-existing conditions without the need to adjust combination therapy regimen. Furthermore, azvudine, widely used in various patient populations, demonstrated an adverse reaction incidence rate of only 0.029% and most patients have been able to alleviate fully after experiencing any adverse reactions.