PR92809

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 3, 2021 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/--

Artequick artemisinin and piperaquine tablets have once again become buzzwords

across the globe, as most recently, their effectiveness in treating COVID-19

was hotly debated by live streamers on overseas social media and we media

platforms. These drugs first came to the industry's attention after the

International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents published a paper titled "Safety

and Efficacy of Artemisinin-Piperaquine for Treatment of COVID-19".

As the fourth-generation artemisinin compound, artemisinin-piperaquine had been

registered in dozens of countries, said Wang Xinhua, former president of

Guangzhou Medical University, senior consultant at Guangdong New South

Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute, and leading member of the group for

artemisinin's clinical research and application in China, adding that for

decades, it has been widely used as an effective cure for malaria, particularly

falciparum malaria. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the devoted

team of scientists has examined the compound's efficacy against the virus, and

their breakthrough has unleashed a hot debate overseas. This implies how the

scientific community and the general public are in desperate need of effective

drug treatments for COVID-19.

Jointly developed by Artepharm Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Guangdong New South

Group, and the Professor Li Guoqiao-led research team at Guangzhou University

of Chinese Medicine, Artequick artemisinin and piperaquine tablets were

certified by China's National Medical Products Administration as a Category I

new drug in 2006. And they have been the drug of first choice recommended by

the National Health Commission of China since 2009. Under patent protection in

40 countries, including the U.S., and a registered trademark in 29 nations,

Artequick has been registered and licensed to sell in 24 states, and is now

among major antimalarials in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Kenya. That being so, the

medication has contributed to a malaria-free world at a fast pace by preventing

tens of millions of people from contracting the disease.

Since last year, Guangdong New South Group, together with scientists from the

Artemisinin Research Center of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and

Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, has conducted clinical trials for

artemisinin-piperaquine in treating COVID-19 at Guangzhou Eighth People's

Hospital in Guangdong Province and Hongqi Hospital Affiliated to Mudanjiang

Medical University in Heilongjiang Province. The study found that it took 8.3

days on average for the nucleic acid test results of all 85 observation cases

(who were treated with the compound) to turn negative. And when observed on the

21st day, 98.8% of them saw a negative result, and on the 28th day, 100%,

compared to 14.3% and 58.7%, respectively, for the control group of 63

infections not on artemisinin-piperaquine medication. According to an in vitro

experiment by Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the highest

non-toxicity concentration of artemisinin-piperaquine stands at 125 micrograms

per milliliter, which helps inhibit HCoV-229E from causing a cytopathic effect

in HuH-7 cells.

In many African countries, the personnel of local Chinese-funded institutions

and enterprises had produced a significant result, as they adopted

artemisinin-piperaquine to prevent and treat the coronavirus, Ms. Huo Jiangtao,

head of Africa Guangdong Business Association noted. No COVID-19 cases treated

with the drug in the Comoros, Kenya, and some other nations have died from the

disease.

The progress was lauded by Zhong Nanshan, China's top respiratory expert. The

experiment had produced "some preliminary positive results", he said, adding

that the efficacy of artemisinin-piperaquine in treating the virus should not

just be based on the rate of nucleic acid tests conversing negative, but the

holistic observation of genetics and meticulous verification.

"Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been a highlight of China's response to

COVID-19. Artemisinin and piperaquine tablets are derived from TCM. Artemisinin

is extracted from the plant Artemisia annua, an herb employed in TCM, and with

years of experience, proves to be safe and effective in curing malaria. Going

ahead, the drug is expected to have a greater role to play in the treatment of

other diseases," said Zhu Layi, president of Guangdong New South Group.

The research on using artemisinin-piperaquine to treat COVID-19 has now been

steadily advanced.

Source: Guangdong New South Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute

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   Caption: Artequick artemisinin and piperaquine tablets developed by Artepharm Co., Ltd.