Thu 12 August 2021:
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’.
The Organization on Wednesday announced that it will test three new drugs for COVID-19, which will involve thousands of researchers at more than 600 hospitals in 52 countries.
According to a press release issued by WHO on Wednesday, the three new drugs are artesunate, a treatment for severe malaria; imatinib, a drug for certain cancers; and infliximab, a treatment for immune system disorders such as Crohn’s Disease.
These therapies were selected by an independent expert panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and they were donated for the trial by their manufacturers, WHO said.
“We’re pleased to announce the next phase in the Solidarity trial, called Solidarity PLUS that will test 3 drugs:
Artesunate, a treatment for severe malaria
Imatinib, a drug for certain cancers
Infliximab, a treatment for immune system disorders”-@DrTedroshttps://t.co/K6tk22NnFf— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 11, 2021
“Finding more effective and accessible therapeutics for COVID-19 patients remains a critical need, and WHO is proud to lead this global effort,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In its previous efforts, WHO has tested four drugs, namely remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon, and the initial results showed that they had little or no effect on hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
The WHO warned countries to come together to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus and urged equitable access to essential countermeasures.
“At the current trajectory, we could pass 300 million reported cases early next year. But we can change that. We’re all in this together, but the world is not acting like it,” Tedros said.
The WHO last week called for a halt on Covid-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September as the gap between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens.
