Partners in the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator have announced grants of
The grants mark the first investments to come from the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, a large-scale initiative launched by the
Currently, there are no broad-spectrum antivirals or immunotherapies available to prevent or treat Coronavirus also known as COVID-19.
The Chief Executive Officer of the
"These initial investments through the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator will bring rigor to the study of these potential solutions. The way forward will be informed by sound science and shared data."
In addition, newly announced funding from government and philanthropic donors has added to the Accelerator's initial funding. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative committed
The additional funds would allow the Accelerator to continue making grants to study repurposed drugs and investigate biological compounds for activity against COVID-19. More funding would be needed to move promising therapies through development and scale-up.
Two of the newly announced trials would fund an investigation of two well-established drugs, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, that have known antiviral properties.
These drugs have been used to treat malaria and a variety of rheumatological conditions for more than 50 years. The trials aim to determine whether the drugs are effective as pre- and post-exposure preventive therapy for COVID-19. While these drugs both show initial promise, rigorous scientific evidence is needed to make decisions on how, where and within which populations to use them in this pandemic.
The
The trial would enroll up to 2,000 asymptomatic men and women who are close contacts of persons with confirmed or pending COVID-19 diagnoses.
Participants will be randomly assigned to take hydroxychloroquine or a placebo over two weeks, and samples will be collected and tested daily to confirm new COVID-19 infections across the two groups.
The Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) will lead a placebo-controlled prophylaxis study of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in preventing COVID-19 in at-risk health care workers, frontline staff, and other high-risk groups. At least 40,000 participants in
COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator Lead at Wellcome,
Investing now, at scale, in the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator is vital if we are to change the course of this pandemic."
In addition to funding drug trials, the Accelerator will provide
Vice Chairman of
"In order to provide therapeutic solutions to this global pandemic, particularly for those most vulnerable, we need to speed up the research and development process through a collaborative funding effort by the private sector, philanthropic organizations, and governments. We welcome the participation of additional organizations that can contribute the resources needed to help bring an end to this crisis."
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