WHO-Led Study To Test Three Anti-Inflammatory Drugs For COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to start trials of three anti-inflammatory drugs to contain the spread of coronavirus to see if they can improve the condition of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
"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," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The study dubbed, Solidarity PLUS trial, will assess Ipca Laboratories Limited's Artesunate, Novartis AG's NVS imatinib, and Johnson & Johnson's JNJ infliximab as potential COVID-19 treatment.
The drugs will be tested on more than 600 hospitalized patients in 52 countries.
Artesunate is used to treat severe malaria, imatinib helps cure certain cancers, and infliximab is used to treat immune system disorders such as Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis.
Price Action: JNJ shares are up 0.12% at $173.98, NVS stock is up 0.43% at $92.67 during the market session on the last check Wednesday.
Photo by Thomas Breher from Pixabay