Interview of the leaders of Promomed Group of Companies to "Arguments and Facts"

Medicines

22.09.2020

The first COVID-19 drug, areplivir, has been registered in Russia. So far, only hospital patients have received the drug as part of the trials. Recently, it began to arrive in pharmacies, where it can be bought with a doctor's prescription.

The appearance of a unique drug has already caused a lot of speculation and rumors. AiF managed to talk to the creators of the medicine. Since all scientific developments were led by the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Promomed Group of companies, Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor Peter Bely, the first questions were addressed to him.

Julia Borta, АиФ.ги Questioner: Peter Alexandrovich, how does the new drug work?

Pyotr Bely: Areplivir is, in a sense, a magical drug, a miracle drug. Our research has shown that in 80% of people, a fracture in the course of the disease occurs in the first 24 hours — the viral load decreases sharply. Then it remains to be treated for a couple of days in small doses — 2 times 3 tablets each. On the 5th day, the person is healthy. The miracle is explained simply. The intake scheme provides for a large loading dose on the first day: you need to take 2 times 8 tablets, more than 3 g of the drug. What for? The drug blocks a special protein, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Without this protein, the virus cannot reproduce. In medical terms, replicate. That's why the medicine is called "A-replivir", where "a" is a particle of negation. COVID-19 lives for 10 hours. If it has not multiplied, it dies and leaves the body.

— Are there any side effects, given the considerable dose?

— The active substance, favipiravir, belongs to the fifth safety class. Almost like vitamins. However, the substance may have a teratogenic effect. Therefore, there are restrictions on admission for pregnant women. The drug is also not indicated for children.

— How did the idea of creation come about?

— It is worth referring to the history of the Biochemist plant, where this drug appeared. The company is over 60 years old. It was originally built by our great Motherland to fight infection. It was the first plant to produce the synthesis of penicillin, streptomycin and other first-generation penicillins. The traditions of synthesis at the plant have been preserved. And now that the plant has been modernized and is ready to synthesize any modern substances, it was a feasible task for our chemical technologists.

We have created a large working group of molecular biologists, clinicians, and chemical technologists. In January, the plant began synthesizing a number of trial molecules, including the areplivir molecule. It soon turned out that areplivir is an ideal candidate for the treatment of COVID-19. But even we were surprised by how effective it was. During the study, not a single patient died or was put on a ventilator. Although we investigated the middle and moderate stages of the disease. The drug has shown an effectiveness of more than 98%.

— What is the course of treatment?

— Officially 10 days and includes 70 tablets. It has been clinically confirmed that 80% of people need half a course, and complete recovery occurs after 5 days.

— Are there similar medicines in the world?

— Favipiravir is registered in China and was the first to be adopted by Chinese doctors. A similar drug has a temporary registration in Italy. In total, there are about 30 clinical trials in the world that investigate this molecule in different types and dosages. But finding the most effective therapeutic form and proving that it is the best is not an easy task. We dealt with it first.

— Will it be possible to use the drug against other viruses?

— Since the drug blocks the enzyme RNA polymerase, the replication (reproduction) of any viruses using this enzyme will be blocked. And this mechanism is typical for the influenza virus, coronavirus, rhinovirus, rotavirus and a number of others, for which the nasopharynx is the entrance gate. Accordingly, areplivir will be effective against them too. A universal response to all threats.

The price of life and health

With the advent of the drug, many were confused by the price issue — more than 12 thousand for a pack of 40 tablets. Is it expensive or not? Andrey Mladentsev, Chief Executive Officer of Promomed, answered this question. By the way, he was one of the first to be treated with areplivir.

— Andrey Leonidovich, how did it happen that you tested the drug?

— In May, I contracted a coronavirus infection from my wife. Literally 4 days after she went to bed, I had the first characteristic symptoms: my sense of smell disappeared, severe weakness, fever, and cough began. At that time, we were recruiting volunteers to test the drug. According to the rules, I could not be among the participants in the official clinical trials. But no one could forbid me to try the medicine on myself. On the first day, I took the recommended dose of 16 tablets. The next morning, the cough and heaviness in the lungs disappeared. CT scan showed that there was no lung damage. I understood that I was taking a risk by taking the drug before its official registration. But the example of many scientists who created and tested drugs themselves inspired me. Within a week of starting treatment, I was able to go back to jogging.

— Why is the price so high? For some, it's a salary.

— A new effective medicine may not cost a penny. We have spent huge amounts of money on innovative developments, clinical research, and retrofitting production. And for a long time, our revenue from the drug will not cover these costs. We are working for the long term and are not interested in the retail network profiting from the drug. Pharmacies began collecting pre-orders for areplivir long before receiving permanent registration from the Ministry of Health. Imagine our surprise when we saw that some chains offer prices above 18 thousand rubles. for the packaging. We strongly recommended not to make the price higher than 12 320 rubles. We will definitely monitor the situation and break off business relations with pharmacy establishments that will inflate prices.

We are also working on cost optimization. Plus, there is an opportunity for the state to include the drug in the list of essential medicines. Then it will be provided to patients for free. Hospitalization of a patient with coronavirus infection per day costs 25 thousand rubles, i.e. at least 200 thousand rubles during treatment. The use of the drug will save the state significant funds for the treatment of patients, as a huge number of people will not be admitted to the hospital. But more importantly, it will save people's health.

Source: aif.ru

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