how do you contain an outbreak with no known vaccine? the world is turning to clinical trials to find the answer. the world health organization (who) is compiling the latest scientific findings and knowledge on coronavirus disease (covid-19) into a database . as of march 5, 2020, it included nearly 1,200 publications from around the world.
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china, in particular, has seen a major spike in clinical trial activity in its efforts to develop a treatment, with more than 260 studies registered in the world health organization (who) international clinical trials registry platform for covid-19 (as of march 5, 2020).
the trials are testing a wide range of potential therapeutic strategies, with new pharmaceutical drugs listed beside thousand-year-old traditional therapies in the registry. favilavir, an anti-viral drug, was the first approved covid-19 drug in china . the drug reportedly showed efficacy in treating the disease with minimal side effects in a clinical trial involving 70 patients. another trial underway in shanghai is taking blood plasma from covid-19 survivors and infusing it into patients who are still ill. this strategy is based on the idea that the antibodies of one person can be used to fight the virus in someone newly infected.
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in japan, two hiv antiretroviral drugs are being trialed to treat patients infected with covid-19. these hiv drugs have reduced levels of related coronaviruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars) and middle east respiratory syndrome (mers). in the united states, another clinical trial led by the university of nebraska medical centre is focusing on an anti-viral treatment called remdesivir, which was previously tested in humans with ebola virus disease and has also shown promise in animals for mers and sars.
here in canada, the university of british columbia’s life sciences institute, in close cooperation with apeiron biologics ag, a vienna-based biotechnology company, has launched a pilot clinical trial of apn01, a potential and novel treatment for covid-19. the study is treating 24 patients in china with severe infection of sars-cov-2 to determine whether apn01 treatment improves outcomes.
the public health agency of canada (phac) is working closely with partners domestically and around the world, including the who, to respond to this outbreak. canadian infectious disease specialist with the b.c. children’s hospital, dr. srinivas murthy, is serving as co-chair for the international who clinical research committee, which is looking at why people get sick from the virus and how to help them recover.
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the national microbiology laboratory (nml), with labs in manitoba, alberta, ontario and quebec, has developed diagnostic test that can quickly identify covid-19 from clinical specimens. nml is working collaboratively with canadian provincial public health laboratories to ensure there is additional testing capacity across the country. in addition, bluedot , a toronto based artificial intelligence firm, is working to help predict and track covid-19 through human and artificial intelligence.
last month, the canadian institutes for health research launched the canadian 2019 novel coronavirus (covid-19) rapid research funding opportunity competition (now closed) to enhance local, national and international collaborative efforts to mitigate the rapid spread of the illness. findings and data from supported research projects must be shared internationally.
for the most up-to-date and accurate information about covid-19 treatment, clinical trials and research, see the world health organization .
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