ATLANTA — An Emory University-owned drug research nonprofit is turning to GoFundMe to fill what it calls funding gaps as it tries to get out an antiviral therapeutic pill it says has the "potential to end the new coronavirus."
The school's Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE) nonprofit research center announced earlier this month it was testing an antiviral compound against the COVID-19 coronavirus, the current strain that threatens to become a global pandemic.
According to researchers, the compound has been effective against past coronavirus strains such as SARS and MERS.
Now, DRIVE says it requires emergency support as researchers are "on the verge of human testing" with a drug to battle COVID-19.
"Today, DRIVE has the most promising potential antiviral therapeutic for coronavirus that can be taken as a pill, making it easy to disseminate, a critical aspect in containing a pandemic," the GoFundMe states. "This is unique over a related promising drug currently being tested in China that must be administered intravenously in a hospital setting."
The center says the treatment has been successful in animal trials.
DRIVE has set a fundraising goal of $5 million for the effort.
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