In this interview we speak to José Javier García from Pivotal about his company´s involvement in a large-scale clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of hyperimmune convalescent plasma treatment in COVID-19 patients.
Dexamethasone, a steroid drug typically used to treat inflammation in conditions such as arthritis and asthma, has recently been tested as part of the Recovery trial at Oxford University (UK), and results are looking positive.
The largest trial to date assessing the use of convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 has revealed that the treatment is effective in 76% of patients, with no adverse effects. Further research is needed to evaluate how to optimize this therapy.
Data from the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT) has demonstrated that remdesivir treatment reduces recovery time in patients hospitalized with severe SARS-CoV-2 infections, requiring supplemental oxygen therapy. The results support remdesivir as the standard treatment for patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
The first human trial testing a potential COVID-19 vaccine has been successful, with initial results suggesting the vaccine is safe and capable of generating an immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in humans.
Researchers and pharmacists have cautioned against the use of malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19, warning against premature optimism that these drugs are effective and safe for use in COVID-19 patients.
Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford (UK) believes she may have a vaccine ready by September of this year.
The Anticancer Fund has created an open-access, online database called Covid19db, which shows the COVID-19 clinical trials currently taking place. The database has detected over 200 clinical trials across 35 countries, testing 102 different investigational drugs.
The first clinical trial assessing two triple artemisinin-based combination therapies (TACTs) for treating malaria has suggested these are effective and present no safety concerns.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has stopped administering an experimental HIV vaccine in the South Africa HVTN 702 clinical trial, after an independent data and safety monitoring board has found that the vaccine is ineffective at preventing HIV infection.
