Is the hot searched Cepharanthine a "new crown medicine" or a "blank check"

On May 13, "Science and Technology Daily" reported that the new coronavirus treatment drug discovered by our scientists, Cepharanthine, was granted a national invention patent. The patent specification shows that 10uM (micromol/liter) of Cepharanthine inhibits coronavirus replication by a factor of 15,393.

The report also said that, from the data of the current study, the drug ranked high in the ability to inhibit neo-coronavirus among all the neo-coronavirus inhibitors found in humans. Once the news came out, "Cepharanthine" was on the hot search and the related concept immediately exploded in the capital market. On the same day, Yunnan Baiyao (000538.SZ) and Dali Pharmaceutical (603963.SH) shares rose 8.66% and 9.99% respectively.

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However, the ensuing skepticism has intensified.

From the existing progress, the research of Cepharanthine is still only in the in vitro cellular experiment link, whether it is expected to become a new crown treatment drug, still need to go through animal experiments, human clinical trials, marketing approval and other links.

Professor of the University of Hong Kong School of Biomedical Sciences, virus expert Jin Dongyan said in an interview with China Newsweek, Qianjin tengxin is still a long way from becoming an anti-new crown drug, there are large uncertainties in the middle of the various links, now more like a "blank check".

He explained that, on the one hand, the specific mechanism of action of Cepharanthine antiviral is not yet clear; on the other hand, animal experiments have not been carried out. If these two things are not done properly, the research cannot move forward.

China News Weekly contacted the inventor of the patent - Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Professor Tong Yigang, Dean of the School of Life Sciences and Technology, but the latter said that it was not convenient to be interviewed.