Taiwan, Australia cooperate on COVID-19 drug development

2020/05/19

Taiwan’s Chang Gung University and Australia’s Monash University are cooperating on developing drugs with possible applications in fighting viruses such as COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology May 14.
 
 The tie-up between Taoyuan City-based CGU’s Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections in northern Taiwan and Melbourne-headquartered Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute centers on ivermectin—a pharmaceutical used to treat parasitic infections and widely available due to its inclusion on the World Health Organization’s model list of essential medicines.
 
 Research carried out by MBDI and Melbourne-based Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity indicates ivermectin is an inhibitor of the COVID-19 causative virus SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.
 
 Under a pact between RCEVI and MBDI, the former will provide biosafety level 1 and 2 laboratories, as well as virus strains. The latter is to supply substances for pharmaceutical experiments on the inhibitory effect of ivermectin on COVID-19.
 
 BSL is a set of biocontainment precautions implemented to isolate hazardous biological agents in a designated facility. Levels range from 1, the lowest, to 4, the highest.
 
 Founded in 2009, RCEVI specializes in responding to the impact and threat posed by bird flu- and SARS-like viruses on society. The institute was recognized for excellence in 2018 by the MOST.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)