OREANDA-NEWS. The first stage of clinical trials of Mir-19, a Russian drug for direct-acting coronavirus, will be finished by mid-March. After that, the second phase will start, in which volunteers will take part. This was stated by the head of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) Veronika Skvortsova at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, TASS reports.

According to her, on December 30, the organization received permission to conduct clinical trials, and they began after the New Year. Skvortsova said that given the fact that this is a new molecule - it is new and patented and has no analogues in the world, the first phase of testing is being carried out especially carefully, since it is necessary to prove the safety already in humans.

She noted that the drug is based on the use of microRNAs that block certain sites of the RNA virus. The head of FMBA assured that microRNAs are absolutely safe for humans, do not affect their genome and immunity. At the same time, they effectively attack the infection and prevent complications, including pneumonitis and acute respiratory distress syndromes.

Earlier, Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko said that several new medicines for coronavirus have been created in Russia, which block the multiplication of the virus and are now undergoing clinical trials. Also, the country has approved three drugs for COVID-19: "Favipiravir", imported and domestic "Remdesivir".