By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

The Russian Health Ministry reports 9,268 new COVID-19 cases, bring the country total to 405,843.

Russia
Image/CIA

Moscow continues to account for the most cases with greater than 180,000 to date.

Officials note an additional 138 fatalities, bringing the total to 4,693.

On Saturday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the ChemRar Group announced that Avifavir has received a temporary registration certificate from the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Avifavir is Russia’s first COVID-19 drug and has shown high efficacy in treating patients with coronavirus during clinical trials.

Avifavir, which disrupts the reproduction mechanisms of coronavirus, is the first Russian direct antiviral drug that has proven effective in clinical trials. The drug has been well studied, since it has been used in Japan since 2014 against severe forms of influenza.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said: “Afivavir is not only the first antiviral drug registered against coronavirus in Russia, but it is also perhaps the most promising anti-COVID-19 drug in the world. It was developed and tested in clinical trials in Russia in unprecedentedly short period of time enabling Afivavir to become the first registered drug based on Favipiravir in the world.”