Chinese lab claims patent for US drug to treat coronavirus patients

Beijing, Feb 5 (PTI) A research institute in China's virus-hit Wuhan city has applied for a patent on use of a drug me in US after it was found to be effective in treating patients infected with coronavirus, raising questions wher lab's move violated intellectual property rights.

As coronavirus strain officially named as 2019 n-CoV wreaked havoc in China and abro, re is a race to develop a viable medicine to treat an increasing number of cases as well as a vaccine to prevent its spre.

In a breakthrough of sorts, US doctors treating a coronavirus patient early this month reported his successful recovery after treating with experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir.

This prompted China to anunce immediate field trials to test drug.

China's National Health Commission on Monday said drug trials were being carried out at multiple hospitals in Wuhan, epicentre of virus outbreak.

Some 270 patients will take part in study, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted China's paper.cn as reporting on February 3.

Later, state-run Xinhua news ncy reported quoting Ministry of Science and Techlogy that a batch of antiviral drug Remdesivir, which will be put into clinical trials to test its efficiency on coronavirus patients, is expected to arrive in China on Tuesday.

Remdesivir has been used to treat Ebola infections abro, report said.

Although drug has t gone through all procedures of clinical trials on coronavirus abro, it has shown fairly good vitro activity in related domestic research, Sun Yanrong, an official of ministry, told a media briefing.

Besides Remdesivir, researchers have also selected from screening several existing drugs, including Chloroquine phosphate and Favipiravir, as well as some tritional Chinese medicines that contain active antiviral ingredients as drug candidates, for furr animal experiments and clinical trials, Chinese health officials said.

Amid all this development, Wuhan Institute of Virology under Chinese Acemy of Sciences said on Tuesday that its researchers discovered that two medicines - Remdesivir and chloroquine - could effectively inhibit recently emerged coronavirus.

institute said it has claimed for patent, triggering a debate on Chinese social media over wher move violates intellectual property regulations (IPR), state-run Global Times reported on Wednesday.

Chloroquine is a medicine that has been used to deal with malaria since 1940s. It has been sold in Chinese market and can be independently provided, institute said.

Meanwhile, Remdesivir, GS-5734, a medicine developed by US medicine producer Gile, is in phase two and phase three clinical research into its effectiveness against Ebola virus in Congo.

In order to protect national interests, institute said that it applied to patent discovery that Remdesivir can be used to deal with 2019-nCov and would apply for patents in or countries and regions through Patent Cooperation Treaty.

institute called for foreign companies to withhold enforcing ir lawful patent rights to help China fight against coronavirus epidemic.

Wuhan institute's patent application has triggered heated discussions on Chinese social media. Some questioned wher institute is allowed to apply to patent a medicine me by a US company in China, citing Chinese companies' and institutes' torious history in allegedly stealing foreign intellectual property, daily said.

alacrity with which Chinese firms and R&D institutes claim patents for foreign techlogy and discoveries h become a major friction between US and China over years.

IPR ft and China's emphasis on techlogy transfer is part of a tre war between world's two top ecomies.

US President Donald Trump h launched tre war with China in 2018 demanding Beijing to reduce massive tre deficit. His demands included an intrusive verification mechanism to supervise Beijing’s promise to protect intellectual property rights, techlogy transfer and more access to American goods to Chinese markets.

two countries signed phase one deal last month which reportedly contained provision for verification mechanism for IPR enforcement. PTI KJV ZH

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