China approves novel homegrown flu drug

China's top drug regulator has approved a homegrown flu treatment that acts on a novel protein target, adding to the arsenal of weapons against the infectious disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide each year.

The first-in-class innovative medicine, onradivir, has been authorized for treating adult patients with uncomplicated influenza A, the National Medical Products Administration said in a statement last month.

It was jointly developed by Raynovent in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, and top respiratory disease research institutions.

"The approval of this medication provides patients with a new treatment option," the administration said.

According to the company, the medicine is the world's first anti-influenza drug that targets a protein of the virus's RNA polymerase called PB2. "The new medicine features rapid, potent and low-resistance efficacy and offers a Chinese solution to tackling global influenza epidemics," the company said.

The medicine, administered as a 0.6-gram tablet, is recommended to be taken in three doses daily for five consecutive days.

Globally, there are about 1 billion influenza cases, including 3 to 5 million severe cases, leading to 290,000 to 650,000 deaths annually.

Zhong Nanshan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a renowned respiratory expert, said during an event on Tuesday that onradivir can quickly alleviate symptoms and suppress the viral load to a very low level within 24 hours, making it less likely for the virus to transmit.

"At the same time, the drug also shows a low tendency to develop resistance," Zhong, who is involved in the drug's development, was quoted by Nanfang Media Group, a local media outlet in Guangdong province, as saying.

Li Tongzeng, chief physician at Beijing You'an Hospital who was not involved in the research, said that the approval of onradivir marks China's fourth approved anti-influenza drug.

Studies show that the new drug acts faster than the two most commonly used flu treatments on the market — oseltamivir and baloxavir marboxil — in easing symptoms and reducing viral load in patients.

"Because onradivir targets a different mechanism than the other two drugs, it should theoretically remain effective even in cases where resistance develops in patients," he said. "When the next flu season arrives, we'll have another weapon in our hands."