MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ clinical trials for the Japanese anti-flu drug Avigan as a possible treatment for COVID-19 has been delayed once again.
In an online media forum Wednesday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the trials were not able to start on Sept. 1.
To recall, the study was initially set to commence on Aug. 17 but the Department of Health (DOH) said there were still processes that are not yet done so they moved the date to Sept. 1
READ: PH trials for Japan’s anti-viral drug Avigan delayed –DOH
Vergeire said three out of the four participating hospitals are still getting the approval of their ethics committee for the Avigan trials.
Only the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) was able to secure the approval. Other hospitals in the trials are the Sta. Ana Hospital, Dr. Jose M. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, and Quirino Memorial Medical Center.
The Health official also said that they have yet to finalize the clinical trial agreement.
“So ito ‘yung dalawang inaantay natin para tayo ay makapag umpisa nitong Avigan trials. Once all of these have been processed or have been approved, we will already start,” she said.
Avigan reportedly yielded positive results in treating COVID-19 patients in China, especially those with mild symptoms.
As of Tuesday, there are 224,264 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, including 158,012 recoveries and 3,597 deaths.