WHO halts HCQ, HIV drugs in trials due to failure to cut mortality
GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it was discontinuing its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir in hospitalised patients with Covid-19 after they failed to reduce mortality.
“These interim trial results show that hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir produce little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalised Covid-19 patients when compared to standard of care. Solidarity trial investigators will interrupt the trials with immediate effect,” the WHO said in a statement, referring to large multi-country trials that the agency is leading.
The UN agency said the decision, taken on the recommendation of the trial’s international steering committee, does not affect other studies where those drugs are used for non-hospitalised patients or as a prophylaxis.
Another branch of the WHOled trial is looking at the potential effect of Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir on Covid-19. The European Commission on Friday gave remdesivir conditional approval for use after being shown to shorten hospital recovery times.
The solidarity trial started out with five branches looking at possible treatment approaches to Covid-19: standard care; remdesivir; hydroxychloroquine; lopinavir/ritonavir; and lopanivir/ritonavir combined with interferon.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Friday that nearly 5,500 patients in 39 countries had been recruited so far into its clinical trials and that interim results were expected within two weeks.
Some 18 experimental Covid-19 vaccines are being tested on humans among nearly 150 treatments under development.
Mike Ryan, WHO’S top emergencies expert, said on Friday that it would be unwise to predict when a vaccine could be ready. While a vaccine candidate might show its effectiveness by year’s end, the question was how soon it could then be mass-produced, he said.
GLAXO, SANOFI NEAR UK VACCINE DEAL: REPORT Glaxosmithkline and Sanofi are close to reaching a 500 million pound ($624 mn) deal to supply the UK government with 60 mn doses of coronavirus vaccine, the Sunday Times reported.
Money would be paid in stages as the vaccine progresses, with final payment made on delivery.
The UK is “engaging with a wide range of companies both in the UK and abroad to negotiate access to vaccines,” said a government spokeswoman. “Appropriate announcements of these arrangements will be made as and when agreements with any of these companies are finalised.”