• Latest
Nurses account for the majority of deaths due to COVID-19 among healthcare workers in KZN: Zikalala

WHO to trial malaria, arthritis drugs as COVID treatments

August 12, 2021
eThekwini Municipality continues search for missing employees

eThekwini Municipality continues search for missing employees

May 26, 2022
Ronica Ragavan and other Gupta associates in court

Ronica Ragavan and other Gupta associates in court

May 26, 2022
Rand weakens as elections approach

Central bank flags inflation as major risk to financial system

May 26, 2022
Hawks: Cross-Border car smuggling on rise this festive season

Hawks makes six more arrests in VBS case

May 26, 2022
Central African Republic to launch bitcoin investment platform

Central African Republic to launch bitcoin investment platform

May 26, 2022
Experts are against mass monkeypox vaccination

Experts are against mass monkeypox vaccination

May 26, 2022
Time to fix the immigration system: Minister Motsoaledi

Time to fix the immigration system: Minister Motsoaledi

May 25, 2022
We must not turn on each other as Africans – President Ramaphosa

We must not turn on each other as Africans – President Ramaphosa

May 25, 2022
SIU arrest Four for alleged Public Works tender fixing

SIU arrest Four for alleged Public Works tender fixing

May 25, 2022
Ghana startup on greater representation in cancer research

Ghana startup on greater representation in cancer research

May 25, 2022
Tiger Brands warns of more price rises as cost pressures build

Tiger Brands warns of more price rises as cost pressures build

May 25, 2022
Somali minister suspended over charcoal export to Oman

Somali minister suspended over charcoal export to Oman

May 25, 2022
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact
Friday, May 27, 2022
Townpress Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • News
    eThekwini Municipality continues search for missing employees

    eThekwini Municipality continues search for missing employees

    Ronica Ragavan and other Gupta associates in court

    Ronica Ragavan and other Gupta associates in court

    Rand weakens as elections approach

    Central bank flags inflation as major risk to financial system

    Hawks: Cross-Border car smuggling on rise this festive season

    Hawks makes six more arrests in VBS case

    Central African Republic to launch bitcoin investment platform

    Central African Republic to launch bitcoin investment platform

    Experts are against mass monkeypox vaccination

    Experts are against mass monkeypox vaccination

    Trending Tags

    • community
    • #freejacobzuma
    • africa
  • Africa
  • World
  • Opinions
  • Economies
  • Entertainment
  • Sport
  • People
  • Motoring
  • Videos
  • News
    eThekwini Municipality continues search for missing employees

    eThekwini Municipality continues search for missing employees

    Ronica Ragavan and other Gupta associates in court

    Ronica Ragavan and other Gupta associates in court

    Rand weakens as elections approach

    Central bank flags inflation as major risk to financial system

    Hawks: Cross-Border car smuggling on rise this festive season

    Hawks makes six more arrests in VBS case

    Central African Republic to launch bitcoin investment platform

    Central African Republic to launch bitcoin investment platform

    Experts are against mass monkeypox vaccination

    Experts are against mass monkeypox vaccination

    Trending Tags

    • community
    • #freejacobzuma
    • africa
  • Africa
  • World
  • Opinions
  • Economies
  • Entertainment
  • Sport
  • People
  • Motoring
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Townpress. Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Coronavirus

WHO to trial malaria, arthritis drugs as COVID treatments

Three drugs will be added to the UN agency’s global trial to test their efficacy in patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

Town Press by Town Press
August 12, 2021
in Coronavirus, Premium
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Nurses account for the majority of deaths due to COVID-19 among healthcare workers in KZN: Zikalala
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The World Health Organization (WHO) will test three new drugs as potential treatments for people in hospitals with severe COVID-19 as it expands its global trial to 52 countries.

The three treatments – artesunate, imatinib, and infliximab – were selected by an independent expert panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in hospitalised patients. Artesunate is currently used for severe malaria, imatinib for certain cancers, and infliximab for diseases of the immune system such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

READ ALSO

Germany to deliver 70mln COVID-19 vaccine to Africa

Intel employees offered $250 incentive to get COVID-19 vaccine

“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 said in a statement. The drugs were donated to the trial by the manufacturers.

The WHO completed the first phase of the so-called Solidarity trials last year, working with countries worldwide to find effective treatments for the novel coronavirus and assess their effect on mortality, no matter how small. The new phase of the trial involves 600 hospitals in 52 countries – 16 more than the initial phase – and thousands of patients.

Four drugs have already been evaluated by the trial with results showing that remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon had little or no effect on people admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

The expansion of the trial comes as the world battles a new surge in the pandemic, fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant. Countries that have not been able to vaccinate a significant proportion of their population have been particularly hard hit.

The WHO has so far recommended only two treatments for COVID-19 – interleukin-6 receptor blockers, recommended last month, and corticosteroids. Trials in the United Kingdom last year found dexamethasone, a cheap and widely available steroid, reduced the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators.

Countries taking part in the new trials include Canada, Finland, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The three new drugs:

Artesunate

Artesunate is produced by Ipca and is currently used to treat malaria. In the Solidarity trial, it will be administered intravenously for seven days, using the standard dose recommended for the treatment of severe malaria, the WHO said.

Artesunate is a derivative of artemisinin, an antimalarial drug extracted from the herb Artemisia annua. Artemisinin and its derivatives have been extensively used in the treatment of malaria and other parasitic diseases for more than 30 years and are regarded as being very safe. The WHO COVID-19 Therapeutics Advisory Group recommended evaluating artesunate’s anti-inflammatory properties.

Imatinib

Imatinib is manufactured by Novartis and used to treat certain cancers. The WHO says patients participating in the trial will take the drug orally, once a day, for 14 days.

Imatinib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor formulated as an oral chemotherapy drug. Experimental and early clinical data suggest that imatinib reverses pulmonary capillary leak, while a randomised clinical trial performed in the Netherlands reported that imatinib might confer clinical benefits in patients in hospital with COVID-19.

Infliximab

Produced by Johnson & Johnson, infliximab is used to treat diseases of the immune system. For the trial, it will be administered intravenously as a single dose, based on the standard dose given to patients with Crohn’s Disease over extended periods, the UN agency said.

Infliximab is a TNF alpha inhibitor, a class of biologics that have been approved for the treatment of certain autoimmune inflammatory conditions for more than 20 years. It has shown favourable efficacy and safety in restricting broad spectrum inflammation, including in elderly people who are the most clinically vulnerable to COVID-19.

Facebook Comments

Tags: ArtesunatearthritisCovid-19ImatinibInfliximabmalariaWHO
Previous Post

The great US ammunition famine of 2021

Next Post

Canada is violating int’l law by selling arms to Saudis

Related News

Merkel faces ultimatum from ally over migrants
Coronavirus

Germany to deliver 70mln COVID-19 vaccine to Africa

August 31, 2021
Intel employees offered $250 incentive to get COVID-19 vaccine
Business

Intel employees offered $250 incentive to get COVID-19 vaccine

August 17, 2021
What is the Lambda coronavirus variant?
Coronavirus

What is the Lambda coronavirus variant?

July 28, 2021
Next Post
Canada is violating int’l law by selling arms to Saudis

Canada is violating int’l law by selling arms to Saudis

Please login to join discussion
Currently Playing

Stolen tyres paraded as bargain deal online

Stolen tyres paraded as bargain deal online

Stolen tyres paraded as bargain deal online

Business
Watch Naledi Manyoni throw baby to safety #freejacobzuma

Watch Naledi Manyoni throw baby to safety #freejacobzuma

Community
IEC raises complaint with Bidvest-Lithotech over Indelible Ink

IEC raises complaint with Bidvest-Lithotech over Indelible Ink

Community
Mthethwa ‘absolutely horrified’ after Babes Wodumo assault video

Mthethwa ‘absolutely horrified’ after Babes Wodumo assault video

Community
Alph Lukau “raising the dead” is a fraud

Alph Lukau “raising the dead” is a fraud

Community
Moozlie says “its just a campaign” and no crash

Moozlie says “its just a campaign” and no crash

Community
Moozlie Mabena involved in a “live video” crash #Moozlie

Moozlie Mabena involved in a “live video” crash #Moozlie

Community

Police hunt suspects who shot dead Welkom man in parking lot

Community
First Human Clinical Trial of HIV Drug Gammora Offers Potential Cure

First Human Clinical Trial of HIV Drug Gammora Offers Potential Cure

General
Madonsela praises Zuma for new approach on Nkandla

Madonsela speaks on land expropriation without compensation

Community
De Lille vows to fight accusers all the way

De Lille likens DA battle to boxing match

Community
Kaizer fans rampage at Moses Mabhida is Shameful

Kaizer fans rampage at Moses Mabhida is Shameful

Community

POPULAR NEWS

Live mortars found in Eastern Cape dam

Live mortars found in Eastern Cape dam

October 14, 2019
Africa agrees to giant trade bloc, but Nigeria, South Africa sit it out

Africa agrees to giant trade bloc, but Nigeria, South Africa sit it out

March 21, 2018
Upskilling public servants to improve service delivery

Upskilling public servants to improve service delivery

October 17, 2017
Just In: Faith Nketsi allegedly prostituting ladies for cash

Just In: Faith Nketsi allegedly prostituting ladies for cash

May 19, 2018
Media 24 an Epitome of Poor Journalism – SAMWU

Media 24 an Epitome of Poor Journalism – SAMWU

May 16, 2018

EDITOR'S PICK

Return of Zille putting the DA at a disadvantage: Analyst

Return of Zille putting the DA at a disadvantage: Analyst

December 5, 2019
Semenya breezes through heats

Semenya breezes through heats

August 18, 2016
Condolences for families who lost initiates

Condolences for families who lost initiates

June 8, 2016

Three more officers were wounded in the they kept in power

September 13, 2016
Townpress Newspaper

At Town Press, we believe everyone who has a story to share, deserve to be heard. Town Press is a current affairs publication that encourages citizens' journalism, as a way to create access for communities to the media.

Follow us

.

  • Africa
  • AU
  • Business
  • Community
  • Coronavirus
  • Crime stats
  • Culture
  • Economies
  • Editor Picks
  • Education
  • Entertaiment
  • Events
  • Featured
  • Finance
  • General
  • General news
  • International
  • Lifestyle and Beauty
  • Markets
  • Media
  • Motoring
  • notices
  • Opinions
  • People
  • Pictures
  • Premium
  • Public Statement
  • Right now
  • Social Media
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Tourism
  • UN
  • Weather
  • World

.

  • eThekwini Municipality continues search for missing employees
  • Ronica Ragavan and other Gupta associates in court
  • Central bank flags inflation as major risk to financial system
  • Hawks makes six more arrests in VBS case
  • Terms and conditions
  • Comments Policy
  • Cookie Policy (ZA)
  • Notices

© 2021 Townpress Newspaper, South Africa - Townpress logo & associated media rights are the intellectual property of Randworth,SA.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Africa
  • World
  • Opinions
  • Economies
  • Entertainment
  • Sport
  • People
  • Motoring
  • Videos

© 2021 Townpress Newspaper, South Africa - Townpress logo & associated media rights are the intellectual property of Randworth,SA.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional Always active
Preferences
Statistics
Marketing
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
Preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Go to mobile version