
WHO to launch trial investigating anti-inflammatory drugs for COVID patients
pharmafile | August 12, 2021 | News story | |
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that a clinical trial is to begin to study three anti-inflammatory drugs as potential treatments for COVID-19 patients.
In a statement the WHO said: “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.”
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.
However, 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. Only corticosteroids have been proven effective against severe and critical COVID-19.
In the trial, artesunate will be administered intravenously for seven days, using the standard dose recommended for the treatment of severe malaria.
Imatinib, produced by Novartis, is used to treat certain cancers and in the trial, it will be administered orally, once daily, for 14 days.
Infliximab, produced by Johnson and Johnson, is used to treat diseases of the immune system and in the trial, it will be administered intravenously as a single dose.
The trial will take place over 52 countries.
Kat Jenkins






