5 hospitals approved to join WHO's Solidarity Trial to find treatment for COVID-19

Five hospitals, two from Ahmedab and one each from Chennai, Jodhpur and Bhopal, have so far been approved to conduct randomised controlled clinical trials under WHO's Solidarity Trial to find an effective treatment for COVID-19.

hospitals, including AIIMS in Jodhpur, Apollo Hospital in Chennai and B J Medical College and Civil Hospital in Ahmedab, will be conducting clinical trials on four treatment protocols — remdesivir, combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir and ritonavir with Interferon beta-1a. 

According to Dr Sheela Godbole, national coordinator of WHO-India Solidarity Trial and he of Division of Epidemiology at ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute, re is a plan to enrol at least 20 clinical sites across India.

clinical trials on any of treatment protocols would be discontinued if it showed any verse effects on any of patients, Godbole said. 

health facilities need to get regulatory approval from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and have to be registered on Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) for this.

Four of hospitals have alrey begun trial.

"We want as many patients as possible to be quickly enrolled in randomised controlled clinical trial so that results also can come out soon," she said, ding sample size has to be at least 1,500 in total from all clinical sites.

Patients are being enrolled in several countries in se clinical trials to generate eugh strong evidence on ir efficacy to treat COVID-19 patients, Godbole said.

" Solidarity Trial aims to rapidly discover wher any of drugs slows disease's progression or improves survival. Or drugs can be ded based on emerging evidence," she said.  

Godbole furr said drug remdesivir and Interferon beta-1a have been provided by global health body to India to conduct clinical trials. US-based pharma company Gile Sciences has donated antiviral drug to WHO.

Over 100 countries are working toger to find effective rapeutics as soon as possible, via Trial, according to WHO website. 

global data safety and monitoring boards will periodically be reviewing trials and accordingly, inform WHO.