UWI approached for WHO solidarity trials

UWI will host World Health Organization (WHO) solidarity trials as part of its contribution to the regional effort to deal with the covid19 pandemic.

At the daily virtual health press conference on Thursday,  the dean of UWI's Faculty of Medical Sciences, Prof Terrence Seemungal, said the WHO approached UWI about hosting  trials in the region. Seemungal said UWI has campuses in TT, Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas and tests will be held at these locations.

He explained that people who decide to enrol in the trials will not have the option to decide which treatment they take. The trials will compare four treatment options against standard of care, to assess relative effectiveness against the virus. The drugs or combinations to be tested are remdesivir; a combination of two drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir; the two drugs plus interferon beta; and chloroquine. Seemungal said that as yet there is no reliable therapy to counter covid19.