The World Health Organisation and partners launched “Solidarity” an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19,
The Trial will compare 4 treatment options against standard of care, to assess their relative effectiveness against COVID-19. By enrolling patients in multiple countries, the Solidarity Trial aims to rapidly discover whether any of the drugs slow disease progression or improve survival. Other drugs can be added based on emerging evidence.
Remdesivir was previously tested as an Ebola treatment. It has generated promising results in animal studies for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which are also caused by coronaviruses, suggesting it may have some effect in patients with COVID-19.
Lopinavir/Ritonavir is a licensed treatment for HIV. Evidence for COVID-19, MERS and SARS is yet to show it can improve clinical outcomes or prevent infection. This trial aims to identify and confirm any benefit for COVID-19 patients. While there are indications from laboratory experiments that this combination may be effective against COVID-19, studies done so far in COVID-19 patients have been inconclusive.
Interferon beta-1a is used to treat multiple sclerosis.
Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat rheumatology conditions.*
Over 400 hospitals in 35 countries with nearly 3,500 patients have been enrolled from 17 countries. Overall, over 100 countries have joined or expressed an interest in joining the trial, and WHO is actively supporting 60 of them.
How the Trial works
Eligible patients were asked to sign to show they understand the possible risks and benefits and consent to joining the study. The medical team responsible for each patient will check whether any of the study treatments would definitely be unsuitable.
After those checks, brief identifying details and any other conditions are digitally recorded for the patient, who is then randomly allocated to one of the study options. Neither the patient nor the medical staff choose which of the study options a patient will receive, as a computer makes this allocation at random.
Critical anonymized information for the trial will only be collected at the randomization stage and when the patient is discharged or dies: which study drugs were given (and for how many days); whether ventilation or intensive care was received (and, if so, when it began), date of discharge, or date and cause of death while still in hospital.
Interim trial analyses are monitored by a Global Data and Safety Monitoring Committee, which is an independent group of experts.
Adults (age 18+ years) recently hospitalised, or already in hospital, with confirmed COVID-19 and, in the view of the responsible doctor, no contra-indication to any of the study treatments will be randomly allocated between
Underlying conditions recorded are: diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease, chronic liver disease and asthma, extending to HIV and tuberculosis in the African region.
WHO suspends trial of hydroxychloroquine over safety fears
The World Health Organisation has temporarily suspended clinical trials of of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for coronavirus.
The decision came after a study published in The Lancet medical journal last week suggested the drug could increase the risk of death among Covid-19 patients, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference.
“The Executive Group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the Solidarity Trial while the safety data is reviewed by the Data Safety Monitoring Board,” Mr Tedros said.
“The other arms of the trial are continuing.”
Analysis
I have previously written an article on the dramatic success that Hydroxychlorquine is having on beating Covid-19 in hospitals around the world, many doctors and medical staff have confirmed it is working for their patients. https://unitynewsnetwork.co.uk/evidence-based-studies-show-hydroxychloroquine-effective-in-treating-covid19/
Indeed a virology paper published in 2015 from Dr Fauci’s National Institute of Health stated “Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS Coronavirus infection and spread – we report that chloroquine has strong antiviral effects”.
Yet because of a study published in the Lancet the “Solidarity Trial” has been stopped for the most successful of the 4 treatments – why?
- Why have the Lancet only produced a paper on Hydroxychloroquine?
- Who is on the Solidary Data Safety Monitoring Board?
More to follow……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26kL2j5FA6Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6vjNJApRZU
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31180-6/fulltext
I fell into politics quite by accident in 2014 and all because my local County Council brought in a policy switching off street lighting overnight my elderly neighbours felt vulnerable – this spurred me into action and the Right to Light Campaign was born.
I started the Right to Light Petition which garnered over 11,000 signatures enough to trigger a debate at Kent County Council. I delivered a speech in front of 88 Councillors and journalists but they refused to listen to the people and kept the lights off.
I worked closely with a local journalist who followed the campaign from start to finish, publishing articles on an almost weekly basis.
Word spread about the campaign and the Council’s refusal to listen – my phone became a hotline, I was invited onto BBC Breakfast and live radio something I would never have contemplated happening in a million years. Following a fierce 2 year battle and against all the odds streetlighting was restored throughout Kent.
Spurred on by success and having witnessed how badly represented people were at local level I joined UKIP standing as a candidate in Borough and County elections narrowly missing out on a seat by 22 votes on one occasion.
The run-up to the EU Referendum was an exciting time I joined the Grassroots Out Campaign and ran weekly street stalls delivering thousands of leaflets and meeting hundreds of people including Nigel Farage and Gerard Batten. I loved the buzz and the fun was infectious. I have been hooked ever since.
I became a prolific poster on Facebook building up relationships in many groups, I was approached by the owner of a Website/FB page called Fortis est Veritas asking if I would like to write articles to post on his platform. I have to date written 22 articles and really enjoy documenting the twists and turns of Brexit a very exciting time – we are writing history and it is essential that is fully documented.
I am very excited to now be given the opportunity to join the UNN family as a Political Analyst – the next chapter in a very exciting 5 years of my life.