WHO and Roche launch trials of potential coronavirus treatments
Drugmakers, governments and universities have been conducting trials on potential treatments for Covid-19 across the world.
Keystone / Jane Barlow
Roche is launching a clinical trial of a potential new Covid-19 drug, adding to rapidly growing investments in combating coronavirus after the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled plans for its own trial to study potential treatments.
This content was published on
4 minutes
Hannah Kuchler in New York and Donato Paolo Mancini in London, Financial Times, Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2020
Русский
ru
Швейцарская компания «Рош» и ВОЗ тестируют препараты от коронавируса
The Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday it was working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US government to initiate a phase 3 trial to evaluate the safety of Actemra, a drug used to treat cytokine release syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis, two inflammatory diseases. The drug is known as RoActemra outside the US.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Some preliminary reports suggest that patients with severe Covid-19 disease develop cytokine release syndrome, also known as a “cytokine storm,” an overshooting of the immune system, doctors have said.
The study will enrol about 330 patients globally starting next month, including in the US. Actemra, which works by inhibiting the body’s immune response, is not currently approved for Covid-19 by the FDA.
“Solidarity”
The announcement came the day after the WHO launched its own trial — named SolidarityExternal link — saying it will be simple enough to permit the participation of hospitals struggling to cope with the burden of extra patients.
The WHO warned that the trickle of results from smaller studies may not be robust enough to make the right medical decisions.
So far, 10 countries have signed up, including Argentina, Canada, France, Iran and Switzerland, but not including Italy or China. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, said he hoped more would join.
“I continue to be inspired by the many demonstrations of solidarity from all over the world,” he added.
More
More
Roche CEO explains new Covid-19 test
This content was published on
Roche CEO Severin Schwan describes how the company is developing a more efficient coronavirus test.
Drugmakers, governments and universities have been conducting trials on potential treatments for Covid-19 across the world, but especially in China where the outbreak began.
Mr Tedros warned that might not be enough: “Multiple small trials with different methodologies may not give us the clear, strong evidence we need about which treatments help to save lives,” he said at a WHO press conference.
There are three main categories of treatments: antivirals, used for diseases such as HIV or Ebola, which would work by stopping the virus from replicating; antibodies, developed from those made by patients with the disease and given to boost the immune system; and anti-inflammatories, usually used for conditions like arthritis, if the disease kicks the immune system into overdrive, hampering breathing.
The WHO will test four different drugs or combinations against the standard of care in the country where the trial is conducted. The trial will include Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir, which many analysts believe is the best prospect for treating coronavirus. It will also test a combination of HIV drugs from AbbVie — lopinavir and ritonavir. It will also test these two drugs alongside an anti-inflammatory previously used to treat multiple sclerosis. The fourth strand will look at the performance of the antimalarial drug chloroquine, which is a generic medicine out of patent.
The launch came as early results from trials in China showed that anti-flu drug Avigan was working against coronavirus. But it has serious side-effects for pregnant women.
There was disappointing news from another study, a controlled clinical trial with 200 patients in Wuhan, China, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It found that the lopinavir-ritonavir combination had no effect on patients’ disease. But the authors suggest that the HIV drugs might work better if other antiviral agents are added to the mixture.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Roche working ‘around the clock’ to provide coronavirus test
This content was published on
After getting the green light to deploy its coronavirus diagnostic test, Roche says it is working around the clock to make it available.
With no prospects for profits, big pharma neglects new infectious diseases
This content was published on
More companies are shifting resources away from emerging infectious diseases into more lucrative areas like cancer. What does this mean for Covid-19?
This content was published on
With its big bet on data and digitilisation, Roche has its eye on a new crop of specialists. Now it just needs to woo them.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.