902 trials around the world seeking for COVID-19 treatment

The most tested Hydroxychloroquine has 114 ongoing clinical studies

Other top drugs in testing: Axithromycin 28 cases, Kaletra 21 cases, tocilizumab and interferon 20 cases

100 days have passed since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in Korea.

 

While Korea seems to have flattened the curve, other countries like the U.S.

 

and European countries are still enforcing strict emergency orders.

 

Meanwhile, the global community is unprecedentedly speeding up the treatment and vaccine development.

 

As of Apr.

 

27, total 902 cases of COVID-19 related clinical trials are reportedly in process.

 

Compared to 66 cases reported in early March, the number has multiplied by 13.6 times.

 

The world’s largest clinical trial registry by the U.S.

 

National Institutes of Health (NIH), ClinicalTrials.gov has been keeping up with the number.

 

Among those trials, 404 cases are testing pharmaceuticals.

 

190 drugs or candidate medicine are undergoing clinical trial to be labeled as a COVID-19 treatment.

 

Most of the ongoing studies around the world are for drug repurposing.

 

Instead of testing new candidate medicine, the studies aim to reevaluate existing drugs as a COVID-19 treatment.

 

COVID-19 related clinical trials conducted around the world as of Apr.

 

27 (Source: ClinicalTrials.gov)

Currently, hydroxychloroquine has been the most popular medicine to be tested.

 

Total 114 cases are confirming hydroxychloroquine’s efficacy and safety profile (including redundant cases).

 

And axithromycin is the second most popular medicine with 28 cases.

 

Industry sources see that the U.S.

 

President Donald Trump’s comments have heavily affected the number of studies in hydroxychloroquine and axithromycin.

 

At the White House press conference, President Trump has expressed his optimism for those two drugs to be the game changer amid pandemic.

 

Unlike his words, however, the outcome seems to have been rather disappointing.

 

An interim report of a U.S.

 

study found the treatment did not demonstrate significant effect, but almost doubled the mortality rate.

 

Following those two drugs, AbbVie’s HIV treatment Kaletra (lopinavir plus ritonavir) is running 21 clinical trials.

 

But Kaletra also had a number of studies reporting no significant effect on COVID-19 treatment.

 

The sources say the drug would unlikely to be labeled as a COVID-19 treatment, unless it reports otherwise in other studies.

 

Tocilizumab (Brand name: Actemra) used for treating multiple myeloma has ranked itself on the fourth spot with 20 ongoing trials.

 

The interleukin-6 inhibitor is expected to prevent the cytokine storm.

 

As a majority of the COVID-19 patients experience cytokine storm, a form of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, pharmaceutical experts have high hopes for the treatment.

 

Interestingly, a number of hypertension treatments were included in the COVID-19 treatment related studies.

 

12 studies are testing losartan and other angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), eight studies are testing angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and calcium-channel blockers (CCB) and diuretic each have one study in progress.

 

In total, there are 22 antihypertensives in testing.

 

Among ARBs, losartan (6), telmisartan (2), candesartan (1) and valsartan (1) have the most number of ongoing tests, in the order.

 

Two other studies have undisclosed substances in trial.

 

Other drugs like myelofibrosis treatment ruxolitinib (Brand name: Kakavi) and a corticosteroid methylprednisolone have 11 and 10 clinical trials in progress, respectively.

 

Remdesivir, a highly anticipated potential COVID-19 treatment, has total of nine trials in progress at the moment, which the three of them are conducted in Korea.

 

The results of remdesivir clinical trials would be unveiled next month at earliest.

 

Also, Japanese-made favipiravir (Brand name: Avigan), a rheumatoid arthritis treatment sarilumab co-developed by Sanofi and Regeneron, and an antiprotozoal medicine nitaxosanide respectively have eight trials in process.

 

While a gout treatment colchicine and a rheumatoid arthritis treatment anakinra have seven and six ongoing trials, a Soviet-developed flu drug Arbidol and a corticosteroid medication dexamethasone each have five ongoing clinical trials.