WHO confirms three new drugs for COVID-19 clinical trials

The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on Wednesday that three new drugs are undergoing clinical trials in a bid to find effective treatments for COVID-19.

The WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, who disclosed this at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, listed the drugs as Artesunate, Imatinib and Infliximab.

The drugs, according to him, will be tested on COVID-19 patients in 52 countries across the world under the Solidarity PLUS programme.

The WHO chief revealed that there are 203 million confirmed COVID-19 cases across the world.

Solidarity PLUS is the largest global collaboration among the WHO’s 194 Member States with thousands of researchers in over 600 hospitals across the world participating.

READ ALSO: WHO donates 26 ventilators to Nigeria

Artesunate is a drug for the treatment of severe malaria, Imatinib is used for certain cancers, including leukemia while Infliximab is a remedy for Crohn’s Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases of the immune system.

Ghebreyesus said: “We already have many tools to prevent, test, and treat COVID-19, including oxygen, dexamethasone, and IL-6 blockers.

“But we need more for patients at all ends of the clinical spectrum from mild to severe disease. And we need health workers that are trained to use them in a safe environment.

“The three drugs were selected by an independent panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in people hospitalised for COVID-19. They are already being used to treat other conditions.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now