Chinese doctors testing performance of drugs to treat novel coronavirus

China is happy to share the results of clinical trials on drugs to treat novel coronavirus with the rest of the world in the effort to fight against the disease, a medical expert said on Wednesday.

Cao Bin, vice-president of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said at a news conference on Wednesday that Chinese doctors are testing the performance of lopinavir and remdesivir on patients with COVID-19, and the clinical trial on lopinavir has been finished.

The WHO and international society are all eager to know the results of the clinical trials in the Chinese mainland. ... We will share the results with the rest of the world as soon as possible," he said.

Cao also said there are two trials on remdesivir underway on the Chinese mainland -- one includes mild to moderate cases and the other is aimed at severe and critical cases -- and it seems both are going on successfully.

Remdesivir, which kickstarted a phase III trial in China on Feb 3, was originally developed for Ebola. The study, expected to be completed on April 27, is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of remdesivir in hospitalized adult patients with mild and moderate infections.

"As soon as we finish the trials, we will be happy to share the data with international society," Cao said, adding that he believes the clinical trials will be a great contribution by Chinese doctors to the world.