THE Department of Health (DOH) said it would not be able to start trials for Japanese flu drug Avigan as targeted on Monday, August 10, 2020, because some legal documents were still being finalized.

"We first said we will start on August 10. But we are still making final arrangements," said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a virtual press briefing.

"We will just inform everybody once we have a final decision when to start. It is going to happen soon," she added.

Vergeire said the DOH has received the Avigan tablets donated by the Japanese government for the experimental treatment of 100 patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Clinical trials for Avigan have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Single Joint Research Ethics Board.

Previously identified as venues for the trials are Sta. Ana Hospital, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, and Quirino Memorial Medical Center.

Avigan, with generic name favipiravir, is an anti-viral drug that is used to treat influenza in Japan and is under study as potential treatment for Covid-19.

On August 6, the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines announced that its government has delivered Avigan tablets for 100 patients to the DOH as part of its emergency grant aid to countries severely affected by Covid-19. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)