4 Gujarat cities to take part in WHO’s Covid-19 clinical trials

AHMEDABAD: Organisations and governments from around the world are putting in efforts to find a cure for the Covid-19 pandemic. Doing their bit, hospitals from four cities in Gujarat will be participating in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) ‘Solidarity’ international clinical trial. The trial is being conducted to help determine an effective method of treatment for Covid-19 patients.

The trial will be conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at hospitals in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot. During the trial, the effectiveness of four drugs and standard care on Covid-19 patients will be recorded and studied in order to determine which of the four drugs is more effective. The four drugs to be tested are Remdesivir, Lopinavir, Hydroxychloroquine and Interferon. According to Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary (Health), Government of Gujarat, the trial will also be used to assess other aspects in patients like improvement of health, mortality rate, need for ventilator support and severe drug reactions.

The medical facilities selected for the trial are – BJ Medical College and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Medical Education & Research Society (GMERS) Medical College in Vadodara, New Civil Hospital in Surat, and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Medical College in Rajkot.

Nearly 100 countries are participating in the clinical trials, Ravi said.