WHO-led trial to study three anti-inflammatory drugs for COVID-19 patients (updated)

Ipca Laboratories

11/08/2021 16:57

* Trial of drugs to take place in 52 countries
    * Search is for medicines to save lives of COVID-19 victims 

 (Adds details from WHO call)
    By Michael Shields and Dania Nadeem
    ZURICH, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization
(WHO) said on Wednesday a clinical trial in 52 countries would
study three anti-inflammatory drugs as potential treatments for
COVID-19 patients.
    "These therapies - artesunate, imatinib and infliximab –
were selected by an independent expert panel for their potential
in reducing the risk of death in hospitalised COVID-19
patients," it said in a statement on the Solidarity PLUS trial.
    The trial involves thousands of researchers at more than 600
hospitals, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told
a news briefing from Geneva. 
    Finland is one of the first countries to enroll patients in
the Solidarity PLUS trial, he added.
    "There are many variants, and all variants can appear
anywhere on the planet. And so having so many sites in so many
different countries and regions will help us get to these
answers as fast as possible," said Marie Pierre Preziosi,
co-lead of the research and development blueprint at the WHO. 
    Artesunate is already used for severe malaria, imatinib for
certain cancers, and infliximab for diseases of the immune
system such as Crohn's Disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
    The WHO warned countries to come together to combat the
fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus and urged
equitable access to essential countermeasures. 
    "At the current trajectory, we could pass 300 million
reported cases early next year. But we can change that. We’re
all in this together, but the world is not acting like it,"
Tedros said. 
    The WHO last week called for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine
boosters until at least the end of September as the gap between
vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2PB3GC
    The original Solidarity trial last year found that all four
treatments evaluated - remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine,
lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon - had little or no effect in
helping COVID patients. The WHO expects final results from this
trial next month. 
    So far, only corticosteroids have been proven effective
against severe and critical COVID-19.
    The WHO said artesunate, produced by Ipca  IPCA.NS , is used
to treat malaria. In the trial, it will be administered
intravenously for seven days, using the standard dose
recommended for the treatment of severe malaria.
    Imatinib, produced by Novartis  NOVN.S , is used to treat
certain cancers. In the trial, it will be administered orally,
once daily, for 14 days. 
    Infliximab, produced by Johnson and Johnson  JNJ.N , is used
to treat diseases of the immune system. In the trial, it will be
administered intravenously as a single dose. 
    

 (Reporting by Michael Shields and Dania Nadeem Editing by Jason
Neely and Mark Potter)
 ((Michael.Shields@thomsonreuters.com; +41 41 528 3630; Reuters
Messaging: michael.shields.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))