WHO Expects First Results From COVID-19 Drug Trials Within Two Weeks
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that it is expecting results from clinical trials it is conducting of drugs that might be effective in treating COVID-19 patients, within two weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that it is expecting results from clinical trials it is conducting of drugs that might be effective in treating COVID-19 patients, within two weeks.
¡°Nearly 5,500 patients in 39 countries have so far been recruited into the Solidarity trial,¡± WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing, referring to clinical studies the U.N. agency is conducting.
¡°We expect interim results within the next two weeks.¡±
Reuters
The Solidarity Trial started out in five parts looking at possible treatment approaches to COVID-19: standard care; remdesivir; the anti-malaria drug touted by U.S. President Donald Trump, hydroxychloroquine; the HIV drugs lopinavir/ritonavir; and lopanivir/ritonavir combined with interferon.
Earlier this month, it stopped the arm testing hydroxychloroquine, after studies indicated it showed no benefit in those who have the disease, but more work is still needed to see whether it may be effective as a preventative medicine.
Reuters
Mike Ryan, head of the WHO¡¯s emergencies programme, said it would be unwise to predict when a vaccine could be ready against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has killed more than half a million people.
While a vaccine candidate might show its effectiveness by year¡¯s end, the question was how soon it could be mass produced, he told the U.N. journalists¡¯ association ACANU in Geneva.
Reuters
There is no proven vaccine against the disease now, while 18 potential candidates are being tested on humans.
WHO officials have defended their response to the virus that emerged in China last year, saying they had been driven by the science as it developed.
Disclaimer: While there have been several different types of treatments being given to COVID-19 patients across the world, there isn't any one drug that has worked as a sure-shot treatment yet. Don¡¯t self medicate/stock up and always consult your doctor/medical health professional.
