Global fiasco: research on possible anti-covid drugs halted

Yelena Ivanova

In late February, the research group «Solidarity» discussed the new drugs that will be tested for effectiveness, says the magazine «Science». Research is planned to continue in a few weeks. Eric Topol , director of the Scripps Research Institute, believes that if this project falls apart, it will be a great shame. The team includes tens of thousands of researchers from around the world, and this study has had a major impact on the development of protocols for treating covid patients around the world.

Solidarity and Britain's Recovery are the two largest research groups created in March 2020. None of the hundreds of other, smaller groups working on experimental treatment protocols for covid have included enough patients to reliably determine whether a drug or treatment is working or not. Oxford-based epidemiologist Richard Pitot, who helped create and analyze Solidarity 's data, explains that scientists were trying to determine the average but significant effect of a particular technique, and this requires a lot of clinical data.

Very quickly, doctors identified 4 drugs - remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, interferon beta, and a combination of two drugs used for HIV - lopinavir and ritonavir. Results from 400 hospitals, where 11,000 patients were treated, showed that none of the drugs led to a reduction in mortality from covid.

An independent clinical study in the United States has found that remdesivir can shorten the recovery time of patients. Solidarity continued to collect data on the use of this drug, especially in patients who either did not receive oxygen during treatment, or were on it for a short time. Now scientists are analyzing the results of 4,500 patients and hope to get reliable results.

Unlike Solidarity , the British group continued their research. Scientists have found that using the cheap steroid drug dexamethasone reduces deaths from covid by a third. The probands include 38 thousand patients who are treated with 5 drugs: aspirin, colkicin, a cocktail containing antibodies produced by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, baricitinib, a medicine against rheumatoid arthritis and dimethyl fumarate, which is used to treat multiple sclerosis. 7,000 patients received aspirin and 5,500 - colkicin, the results will be published soon, said project leader Martin Landray.

The United States also wanted to create a similar clinical program, but failed to create a simple and effective structure.

The work of WHO's Solidarity was not easy . After the scientists rejected 4 other drugs, they asked the Anglo-Swedish concern Astra-Zeneca to test their cancer drug acalabrutinib, which suppresses the immune system, but the manufacturer initially agreed, but later refused to test. There was an idea to test monoclonal antibodies, but it soon became clear that these drugs worked in mild forms, and Solidarity was created to find drugs for clinical use.

So the research team was left without drugs. Only in November last year, WHO created a group that began to select drugs suitable for research. Group leader Rettingen believes that there was no need to wait for the drug to appear after 4 candidates were rejected, but it was necessary to start working with cheap generics.

Scientists are discussing new drugs they might try, such as the anti-malaria drug artesunate, which has both anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. Another drug that can be tested is an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor, which is involved in inflammation, and another drug that inhibits the compliment system, part of the immune system. And again, the study will take place if pharma companies agree to provide their drugs.

Scientists say that it is necessary to create a global system within which they can very quickly access the necessary drugs and will not waste precious time.