The clinical trial will be conducted on 210 subjects across 12 centres in India for a duration of 10 days, the results of which are expected in October
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on Friday said it has started phase 2 clinical trials of AQCH, a phytopharmaceutical, as a potential treatment for covid-19. The plant-derived drug was initially developed for dengue, but considering its broad antiviral effect in in-vitro studies, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), in April, allowed Sun Pharma to run trials for covid-19. AQCH is the first phytopharmaceutical approved for clinical trials by the DCGI.
The clinical trial will be conducted on 210 subjects across 12 centres in India for a duration of 10 days, the results of which are expected in October. AQCH’s human safety study was completed and the drug was found to be safe at the recommended dose for a phase 2 study, Sun Phrama said.
“AQCH has shown anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects in in-vitro studies conducted in collaboration with International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Italy," said Dilip Shanghvi, managing director, Sun Pharma. “These results, combined with information on mechanism of action through in-vitro and small animal studies, give us the confidence to evaluate this potential treatment option for covid-19."
Since 2016, Sun Pharma had been working closely with the department of biotechnology at ICGEB, and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine to develop a phytopharmaceutical drug for treating dengue.
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