Biopharma firms have scrambled to begin new R&D initiatives and repurpose present medicines amid the COVID-19 disaster. Now, Bayer is donating an older therapy to the U.S. authorities for potential use.
The firm is donating three million tablets of malaria medication chloroquine, a decades-old drug that is obtainable for affordable. Axios first reported information of the donation Wednesday, citing a senior HHS official and one other supply with data of the plan.
Bayer confirmed the donation Thursday.
In France, as an example, a professor carried out a small examine of the malaria drug in 24 sufferers with novel coronavirus infections. Of those that obtained the medication, solely 25% examined constructive for the virus after 6 days, according to en24. Meanwhile, of those that did not obtain it, 90% examined constructive after that timeframe. The French authorities now plans to run bigger research.
In a examine printed final month in Nature, authors wrote that “chloroquine is a cheap and a safe drug that has been used for more than 70 years and, therefore, it is potentially clinically applicable against the 2019-nCoV.”
While there’s actually extra to be taught in regards to the potential remedy, chloroquine is only one of a number of medication being explored to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Sanofi and Regeneron are finding out rheumatoid arthritis med Kevzara in sufferers with extreme COVID-19, whereas Roche is exploring testing its arthritis med Actemra, NBC News reports. AbbVie is working with authorities on testing HIV meds Kaletra and Aluvia. And Gilead and others are already trialing the corporate’s investigational Ebola drug remdesivir, with information anticipated in April.
Besides these efforts, many firms—together with Johnson & Johnson, Takeda, Sanofi and Pfizer—are advancing new medication and vaccines.
As of Wednesday, officers world wide had reported greater than 200,000 COVID-19 instances and greater than 8,200 deaths.
