COVID-19 Top News – March 28, 2020

lopinavir/ritonavir / Generic mfg.; hydroxychloroquine / Generic mfg.; remdesivir (GS-5734) / Gilead; chloroquine phosphate / Generic mfg.A patient in Norway is the first to enroll in a global 'solidarity trial' testing 4 coronavirus treatments (Business Insider) - Mar 28, 2020 - "Hoie said the trial starts today, and that the first patient is somone at Oslo Universoty Hospital....The trial...includes more than 45 countries around the world..."US biotech firm wants to test its pneumonia treatment in Covid-19 patients - Mar 28, 2020 - "BioAegis Therapeutics has been testing a protein called gelsolin to treat pneumonia....BioAegis has applied to the FDA for rapid authorization to begin a clinical trial of its treatment for COVID-19 patients that are on or nearly to the point of needing ventilators."Study shows good results with plasma treatment for Covid-19 (The Hindu) - Mar 28, 2020 - "...Convalescent plasma transfusion may be helpful in the treatment of critically ill patients with COVID-19 and ARDS....While the cohort is small, there is less scepticism about the study results, experts argue, because the method (convalescent plasma) has worked well for other conditions....'Following plasma transfusion, body temperature normalised within 3 days in 4 of 5 patients, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score decreased, and the ratio that determines severity of ARDS increased within 12 days....Viral loads also decreased and became negative within 12 days after the transfusion'."lopinavir/ritonavir / Generic mfg.; chloroquine phosphate / Generic mfg.; hydroxychloroquine / Generic mfg.; remdesivir (GS-5734) / GileadIndia to participate in WHO solidarity trial for developing potential drugs for Covid-19 - Mar 28, 2020 - "Mr Gangakhedkar also informed that India has indicated willingness to go for vaccine trials for country's population....Our correspondent reports that WHO's Solidarity trial is expected to witness participation from many countries including Thailand, Argentina, Canada, France, Iran, and Spain. The trial will not only test different drugs but will also compare their effectiveness."lopinavir/ritonavir / Generic mfg.; hydroxychloroquine / Generic mfg.; remdesivir (GS-5734) / Gilead; chloroquine phosphate / Generic mfg.WHO enrolls Spain and Norway for Covid-19 initial clinical trial (Biospectrumasia) - Mar 28, 2020 - "Spain and Norway are ready to enrol their patients for COVID-19 clinical trial....'More the countries join the trial, the faster we will have results. In the meantime, we call on individuals & countries to refrain from using therapeutics that have not been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19'."mRNA-1273 / Moderna TherapeuticsUS coronavirus vaccine trial expands to second test location - Mar 28, 2020 - "A coronavirus vaccine study has expanded to a second location, with new volunteers for the potentially COVID-19-preventing injection being sought in Atlanta....Now, Emory University in Atlanta plans to enroll a second cohort as the Phase 1 trial expands its footprint. In total it’s expected to amount to 45 participants spread across both sites."