SEOUL -- Chong Kun Dang, a pharmaceutical company in South Korea, has been allowed to go ahead with the final stage of clinical trials in Russia to test the efficacy of its anticoagulant and acute pancreatitis treatment Nafabeltan in treating COVID-19 patients.
Nafabeltan's ingredient is nafamostat mesylate, a short-acting anticoagulant which also has some antiviral and anti-cancer properties. Institut Pasteur Korea, an infectious disease-focused research institute, selected Nafamostat as the "most potent" drug candidate in treating COVID-19 patients and teamed up with Chong Kun Dang for joint research.
Nafabeltan has been administered to 100 patients since Chong Kun Dang received Russia's approval for Phase 2 clinical trials in August. As Nafabeltan showed positive results in interim evaluation, Rusia's Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) has allowed Chong Kun Dang to complete clinical trials.
Nafabeltan has also received approval to carry out clinical trials in Mexico, Chong Kun Dang said, adding it aims to finish clinical trials in Russia within this year and seek conditional approval in South Korea in January next year.