Unexpected protocol changes and a single-blind design for a Phase III head-to-head trial seem to have played to the advantage of Junshi’s oral derivative of Gilead’s antiviral remdesivir in COVID-19.

Junshi’s oral antiviral shows signs of effectiveness in treating patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms but more data are needed, caution researchers.

Simcere is weighing options for SIM0417 in a Phase I trial in China as the first major domestically-developed potential rival to Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid. The study is likely to include wider patient groups ranging from those without symptoms to severe patients.