India will now be a part of the multi country SOLIDARITY trial that will test four drugs/combinations against COVID 2019
India is all set to participate in a global multi country drug trial to find a treatment for the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID2019).
Dr R R Gangakhedkar head of the department of epidemiology and infectious diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research said: “We have decided to participate in the SOLIDARITY trial. Earlier we did not have enough patients but now that we do, we will be a part of the global trials.”
World Health Organisation had announced the SOLIDARITY trial some time back. Four drugs/ combinations will be tested during the trial. “This large, international study is designed to generate the robust data we need to show which treatments are the most effective”, said the WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We have called this study the SOLIDARITY trial”.
The drugs that will be tested are remdesivir, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, ritonavir/lopinavir combination and the latter combination along with interferon-beta. Among the countries that have so far confirmed their participation are Argentina, Bahrain, Canada, France, Iran, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand
Ritonavir Lopinavir drug combination is India’s drug combination of choice against COVID2019 after two patients in Jaipur recovered from the disease after their administration
Ritonavir Lopinavir drug combination is India’s drug combination of choice against COVID2019 after two patients in Jaipur recovered from the disease after their administration. One of them, however died later of a cardiac arrest.
The latest clinical management guidelines issued by the government of India say: “There is no current evidence from RCTs to recommend any specific treatment for suspected or confirmed patients with COVID – 19. No specific anti–virals are recommended for treatment of COVID – 19 due to lack of adequate evidence from literature. The use of Lopinavir/ Ritonavir in PEP regimens for HIV (4 weeks) is also associated with significant adverse events which many a times leads to discontinuation of therapy. In light of the above, Lopinavir/ Ritonavir should ONLY be used with proper informed expressed consent on acase to case basis for severe cases, within the under-mentioned framework along with supportive treatment as per need.”