The trial will test artesunate, made by Ipca Laboratories, which is used to treat severe malaria; imatinib, made by Novartis, which is used to treat certain cancers; and infliximab, made by Johnson & Johnson, which is used to treat immune system diseases, including Crohn’s disease.
The three drugmakers have donated the drugs to be tested in the trial, which spans more than 600 hospitals in 52 countries.
“These therapies … were selected by an independent expert panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients,” the WHO said in a news release.
Artesunate will be given to hospitalized COVID-19 patients intravenously for seven days; imatinib will be taken orally for 15 days; and infliximab will be given intravenously in one dose.
“Finding more effective and accessible therapeutics for COVID-19 patients remains a critical need, and WHO is proud to lead this global effort,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said in a news release.
Read the full news release here.
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