Clinical Trials of COVID-19 Therapeutics for Primates to Begin as Early as May

Moon: "Therapeutics and Vaccines, Mountains to Overcome to Defeat COVID-19"
Government Vows Active Support for Research and Development

President Moon Jae-in is listening to Senior Researcher Lee Hong-geun explain the compound treatment process at the Korea Pasteur Institute research facility in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 9th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] President Moon Jae-in expressed his intention to actively support the development of therapeutics and vaccines for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), drawing attention to whether progress can be accelerated in the future. Currently, there are no vaccines or therapeutics developed for COVID-19, so existing treatments are being examined for effectiveness, or the efforts are just beginning. With countries around the world, including South Korea, rolling up their sleeves to develop therapeutics and vaccines, the focus is on whether tangible results can be achieved.

According to data from the medical library operated by the U.S. National Institutes of Health on the 9th, there are about 250 clinical trials related to COVID-19 registered worldwide, including early-stage trials. Most of these studies investigate whether existing drugs or treatments can be applied to COVID-19 patients. South Korea’s regulatory authorities have approved five clinical trials, which are studies to examine the efficacy of therapeutics previously developed for other diseases.

When a new infectious disease spreads, the most efficient means to stop it are vaccines or therapeutics. However, since new drug development is not easy within a short period, it is difficult to expect effective therapeutics for COVID-19 immediately. President Moon’s visit to a vaccine development research institute and his meeting with related industries, research institutions, and the medical community to promise full support is interpreted as an effort to encourage frontline researchers.

President Moon said, "Vaccine and therapeutic development requires a long time and significant costs, so it is difficult to achieve results in a short period through private sector efforts alone," adding, "We will invest 210 billion KRW in COVID-19 vaccine development and enhance the competitiveness of the therapeutic and vaccine industry starting with investment in therapeutic development research reflected in the supplementary budget and the establishment of a novel virus research institute."

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and other related ministries have decided to prioritize urgent research support and operate a system to share various information and infrastructure. The government expects that starting next month, efficacy verification for one therapeutic and two vaccines can begin using primates infected with COVID-19. Furthermore, core resources such as research facilities, pathogen resources, and clinical data will be opened to the private sector to mobilize and cooperate the capabilities of industry, academia, research, and hospitals, which are the main entities in therapeutic and vaccine development.

Approval from authorities is also crucial to conduct clinical research necessary during the development process, and efforts will be made to proceed as quickly as possible through pre-consultation and expedited review. When the same clinical research is conducted by various institutions, the review results from one institution will be recognized. Inclusion of patients from residential treatment centers and simplification of clinical procedures will also be actively supported. An information-sharing system with major overseas countries will be established, and local research centers will be built in key countries including Asia. A government official stated, "In the mid to long term, we will increase investment in infectious disease research and development and link dispersed infectious disease research organizations to establish an efficient research system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.