He said the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad has developed the technology to make the drug Favipiravir.
The technology has been transferred to a private company, IICT Director S Chandrashekar said.
The company will now tie up with hospitals for clinical trials so that the drug could be tested on patients suffering from COVID-19. Approval from patients will be necessary as per the protocols, he said.
Mande said Favipiravir is used in countries such as China and Japan to treat influenza. Whenever, a virus enters a cell, it tries to create multiple replicas. Favipiravir stops the replication process, he explained.
The CSIR has already tied up with Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd to evaluate Mycobacterium W (Mw) for faster recovery of hospitalised COVID-19 patients and minimise the spread of disease.
Mycobacterium W can reduce mortality of patients suffering from Gram-negative sepsis by 50 per cent. Permission has been granted by the Drug Controller of India to conduct tests on critically ill COVD-19 patients at three major hospitals in the country, he said.
Mande said Mycobacterium W helps in boosting TH1 and TH2 cells, which in turn, builds immunity in fighting viruses and in this specific case the novel coronavirus. PR NSD