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US begins first trial of coronavirus treatment Remdesivir

World Materials 26 February 2020 00:55 (UTC +04:00)
The United States has launched its first clinical trial of an experimental treatment for the coronavirus
US begins first trial of coronavirus treatment Remdesivir

The United States has launched its first clinical trial of an experimental treatment for the coronavirus, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said in a statement on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

"A randomised, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the investigational antiviral remdesivir in hospitalized adults diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has begun at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha," the release said. "This is the first clinical trial in the United States to evaluate an experimental treatment for COVID-19."

The first trial participant is an American repatriated from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked in Japan, the health agency said.

Remdesivir, developed by US biotech firm Gilead Sciences, was previously tested in humans with Ebola and has shown promise in animal models for treating Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which are caused by other coronaviruses, according to the release.

The US developed the current study based on designs from China where clinical trials of remdesivir are also ongoing.

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