So far, only corticosteroids have been shown to be effective against severe and critical COVID-19. (File)
Zurich:
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that a clinical trial in 52 countries would study three anti-inflammatory drugs as possible treatments for COVID-19 patients.
“These therapies – artesunate, imatinib and infliximab – were selected by an independent panel of experts for their potential to reduce the risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients,” it said in a statement on the Solidarity PLUS study.
Artesunate is already used for severe malaria, imatinib for certain cancers and infliximab for immune system diseases such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
Last year’s original Solidarity study found that all four of the treatments evaluated — remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and interferon — had little or no effect in helping COVID patients.
So far, only corticosteroids have been shown to be effective against severe and critical COVID-19.
The WHO said artesunate, produced by Ipca, is used to treat malaria. In the trial, it will be given intravenously over seven days at the standard dose recommended for the treatment of severe malaria.
Imatinib, produced by Novartis, is used to treat certain cancers. In the trial, it is administered orally once daily for 14 days.
Infliximab, produced by Johnson and Johnson, is used to treat diseases of the immune system. In the trial, it will be administered intravenously as a single dose.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NewsMadura staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
