La nipona Takeda desarrolla un fármaco contra el coronavirus / Japan’s Takeda Pharma says it is developing coronavirus drug
TOKIO.- El gigante farmacéutico nipón Takeda anunció hoy que está desarrollando un fármaco contra el nuevo coronavirus y afirmó que está en contacto con reguladores de todo el mundo para acelerar su salida al mercado.
El nuevo medicamento, derivado del plasma sanguíneo, serviría para tratar a «individuos de alto riesgo afectados por el COVID-19», según dijo en un comunicado la empresa con sede en Osaka (oeste de Japón).
Takeda tiene previsto remitir información al Congreso de Estados Unidos este mismo miércoles sobre el desarrollo del fármaco, y está en «discusiones con múltiples agencias nacionales y organismos reguladores» de EE.UU., Asia y Europa «para avanzar en la investigación» sobre el mismo.
«Hemos identificado recursos y capacidades relevantes, y esperamos que éstos puedan servirnos para expandir las opciones de tratamiento para pacientes enfermos del COVID-19», señaló en la nota el doctor Rajeev Venkayya, responsable del área de vacunas de Takeda.
La empresa explicó no obstante que para probar la eficacia y seguridad del fármaco necesita «tener acceso a plasma de personas que se hayan recuperado exitosamente del COVID-19», y para ello pidió la colaboración de los organismos nacionales.
Los eventuales donantes «cuentan con anticuerpos contra el virus que podrían mitigar potencialmente la gravedad de la enfermedad en pacientes, y posiblemente, prevenirla», afirmó Takeda.
Aislar y transferir esos anticuerpos a otros pacientes «podría ayudar a sus sistemas inmunológicos para responder a la infección e incrementar las posibilidades de recuperación»; añadió.
Asimismo, la farmacéutica está estudiando la posible efectividad contra el virus de algunos de sus medicamentos que ya se encuentran en el mercado, aunque esta iniciativa se encuentra «en una etapa inicial», según la empresa.
EFE

Japan’s Takeda Pharma says it is developing coronavirus drug
TOKYO (Reuters) – Takeda Pharmaceutical Co said on Wednesday it was developing a drug for high-risk patients infected with the new coronavirus, joining several other drugmakers seeking to develop a treatment for an illness that has killed over 3,000 people.
The Japanese firm said it was working on a plasma-derived therapy which had previously been shown to be effective in treatment of severe acute viral respiratory infections.
Its research would require antibodies from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus infections or who have been vaccinated, once a vaccine has been developed.
“By transferring the antibodies to a new patient, it may help that person’s immune system respond to the infection and increase their chance of recovery,” Takeda said in a statement.
It is also studying whether its currently marketed or pipeline products might be effective treatments for infected patients, the company said, adding those efforts were at an early stage.
Takeda joins other drugmakers working on developing drugs to treat the flu-like disease which has struck more than 90,000 people worldwide.
U.S.-based Gilead Sciences Inc said last week it had started two late-stage studies to test its drug, remdesivir, in patients with severe and moderate cases of the illness.
Pfizer Inc said on Monday it had identified certain antiviral compounds it has in development that have the potential to inhibit coronaviruses and is engaging with a third party to screen the compounds.
Takeda said it would share its plans with members of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday and was in talks with various health and regulatory agencies and healthcare partners in the United States, Asia and Europe to move forward its research into the drug.
The announcement comes amid news the U.S. Congress could debate and pass as early as this week emergency funding, possibly in the range of $6 billion to $8 billion, to help battle the virus and aid businesses.
Prior to Takeda’s announcement, shares in the company, Japan’s biggest pharmaceuticals firm by market value, closed down 0.95%.
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