Japanese institutions have started a clinical trial for a COVID-19 drug containing antibodies collected from people who recovered from the disease, as part of an international program.
The program is funded by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. From Japan, the National Center for Global Health and Medicine and Fujita Health University jointly launched a trial.
A group of researchers in Japan says it is using immune cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, in a clinical trial for cancer treatment.
The researchers say the clinical test started this month at Chiba University Hospital, near Tokyo, and is the first in the country to apply iPS cells to treat cancer.
Some countries have officially approved COVID-19 vaccines before completing all necessary clinical tests to confirm their safety and efficacy. The World Health Organization warns that rushing to make a vaccine widely available could pose risks.
Russia officially approved in August a domestically developed vaccine for the coronavirus after only completing phase 2 in the normal 3-phase clinical testing process. It plans to start group vaccinations mainly for medical workers in November.
There are now more than 10.3 million coronavirus cases worldwide. And as the number continues to surge, scientists around the world are rushing to develop a vaccine. Researchers in Japan launched the country's first clinical trial on Tuesday.
Pharmaceutical company AnGes says trials are now being conducted on 30 healthy people at a university hospital in Osaka.
Japan's health ministry has decided to begin clinical trials on patients infected by the new coronavirus with a drug used to treat HIV.
Thailand and other countries have reported that the symptoms of coronavirus patients improved after they were administered antiviral drugs that are used to prevent the onset of AIDS.