As vaccines against the virus make such a welcome impact in preventing the disease, the cupboard of antivirals that could be used to treat the illness is notably bare. The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the Solidarity clinical trial, focused on antiviral drugs, in March 2020. According to a report in Nature, the clinical trial will test three drugs that dampen inflammation. And an international trial called Remap-Cap found that drugs that block an immune protein – the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor – can reduce deaths among those critically ill with Covid-19. Other mechanismsBut there is a need to find other mechanisms to shut down certain immune responses in the Solidarity trial.

Source: The Irish Times May 18, 2021 04:52 UTC