The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced interim results on its Solidarity Trial,  work evaluating various treatments for COVID-19.   It found that the four treatments evaluated (remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon) had little or no effect on overall mortality, initiation of ventilation and duration of hospital stay in hospitalized patients.

The results are in contrast with the experience of many health care professionals, including those treating patients here in Hawaii.  Queen’s Medical Center CEO Dr. Jill Hoggard Green has said that remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone are keeping people with COVID-19 alive.

Solidarity is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, launched by the World Health Organization and partners. It is one of the largest international randomized trials for COVID-19 treatments, enrolling almost 12 000 patients in 500 hospital sites in over 30 countries.

The Solidarity Trial is evaluating the effect of drugs on 3 important outcomes in COVID-19 patients: mortality, need for assisted ventilation and duration of hospital stay.

The Solidarity Trial is considering evaluating other treatments, to continue the search for effective COVID-19 therapeutics.

So far, only corticosteroids have been proven effective against severe and critical COVID-19.

As of today there are more than 39 million COVID-19 cases worldwide, and more than 1 million cases in the U.S.  Worldwide deaths now top 1 million.  U.S. deaths top 218,000.

For the WHO Solidarity Trial updates, click here.