India to test four drugs as part of WHO trial

MUMBAI: India will start clinical trials for four drugs as part of the World Health Organization’s Solidarity trial that’s aimed at finding a quick cure for Covid-19.

Potential anti-viral agents remdesivir, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir-ritonavir and lopinavir-ritonavir with interferon will be evaluated as part of the trial, the Indian Council of Medical Research said on Wednesday.

The Solidarity trial started by WHO aims to speedily find out whether any of these drugs slows the progression of the disease or improves the survival of Covid-19 patients. The Solidarity trial provides simplified procedures to enable even overloaded hospitals to participate, ICMR said in a statement. Recruitment of Covid-19 patients for trials at nine sites in India has started.



“The required regulatory and ethical approvals have already been obtained and clinical trial sites have started to recruit patients,” said Sheela Godbole, national coordinator for the Solidarity trial in India. Other than remdesivir, all the chosen drugs are generic medicines that are manufactured by Indian companies.

Gilead Sciences, the maker of remdesivir, gave voluntary licences to three Indian companies this week to manufacture the drug for the country and 126 low- and middle-income countries.

The lopinavir-ritonavir combination is used in the treatment of HIV, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine are anti-malarial drugs, while interferon is used to treat hepatitis C.

Through this collaboration, Indian researchers and institutions will participate in a global initiative to find effective treatment options for Covid-19, said Henk Bekedam, the WHO representative to India, adding that the country has a critical role in both research and manufacturing once the trials conclude successfully.