WHO announces three new drugs for latest COVID-19 ‘Solidarity’ clinical trials

The therapies — artesunate, imatinib and infliximab — volition beryllium tested connected hospitalized COVID-19 patients successful 52 countries nether the Solidarity PLUS programme.  

There person been much than 203 cardinal cases of the illness recorded globally arsenic of Wednesday, according to WHO data.  The satellite deed the 200-million mark last week, conscionable six months after cases passed 100 million.

More therapeutics needed 

Speaking during a property league successful Geneva, bureau main Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus underscored the captious request to find much effectual and accessible COVID-19 therapeutics. 

“We already person galore tools to prevent, trial for and dainty COVID-19, including oxygen, dexamethasone and IL-6 blockers. But we request more, for patients astatine each ends of the objective spectrum, from mild to terrible disease. And we request wellness workers that are trained to usage them successful a harmless environment,” helium said. 

The 3 drugs were selected by an autarkic sheet for their imaginable successful reducing the hazard of decease successful radical hospitalized for COVID-19. 

They are already being utilized to dainty different conditions.  

Artesunate is simply a medicine for terrible malaria, imatinib is utilized for definite cancers, including leukemia, portion infliximab is utilized to dainty Crohn’s Disease, rheumatoid arthritis and different diseases of the immune system. 

Manufacturers Ipca, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson, donated the drugs for the trial. 

Collaboration yields results 

Solidarity PLUS is the largest planetary collaboration among WHO’s 194 Member States, with thousands of researchers successful implicit 600 hospitals participating. 

Finland is among the 52 countries taking part, 16 much than the archetypal Solidarity Trial, and contributes to the COVAX vaccine solidarity initiative.  Two assemblage hospitals determination person been the archetypal worldwide to statesman the 2nd phase. 

Hanna Sarkkinen, the country’s Minister of Social Affairs and Health, said objective trials person a large imaginable to prevention lives. 

“Even though determination are astir 3,000 objective studies connected COVID-19, astir of them are excessively tiny to output important information. We request objective trials that are ample capable to bring amended treatments for COVID-19 patients,” she said. 

Four drugs were evaluated nether the archetypal Solidarity Trial past year, which showed that remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon had small oregon nary effect connected hospitalized patients with COVID-19.   

Final results are expected adjacent month.