WHO to test three new drugs for potential Covid treatment
World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is finding more ways to stop the spread of coronavirus, especially with the new variants coming up such as the Delta variant which has also been dubbed as a 'variant of concern'.
In addition to that, the scientific experts are also finding new ways to cure the already-suffering Covid patients. In such an effort, WHO is set to start trials of three drugs to see if they can improve the condition of hospitalised Covid patients.
"Finding more effective and accessible therapeutics for Covid-19 patients remains a critical need,"said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "We already have many tools to prevent, test for 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."
The three drugs being tested now are Artesunate, imatinib and infliximab. These will be tested on more than 600 patients who have been hospitalised in 52 countries due to Covid.
Artesunate is used to treat severe malaria, imatinib helps in curing certain cancers and infliximab is used in the treatment of immune system disorders such as Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis.
Several doses of these drugs were supplied to selected hospitals by their manufacturers as a donation for this trial.