Sun Pharma Initiates Phase II Of COVID-19 Drug Trial; Shares Gain

On Friday, shares of Sun Pharma gained as much as 3.3 percent to an intraday high of Rs 511 after the company informed the stock exchanges that it has commenced Phase II clinical trial on AQCH, a phytopharmaceutical (plant-derived) drug for the treatment of COVID-19.

The drugmaker had received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for conducting Phase II clinical trial in April this year.

"The clinical trial will be conducted across 12 centers in India in 210 patients. The treatment duration for patients will be 10 days. The results of the clinical trial are expected by October 2020. Human safety study of AQCH has already been completed and the drug has been found safe at the recommended dose for Phase II study," it added.

"This is the first phytopharmaceutical drug approved for clinical trials by the DCGI as a potential treatment for COVID-19. AQCH has shown anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects in in-vitro studies conducted in collaboration with ICGEB, Italy. These results combined with information on mechanism of action through in-vitro and small animal studies give us the confidence to evaluate this potential treatment option for COVID-19 patients," said Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director of Sun Pharma.