COVID second wave affects trial of new drugs

IICT has lined up at least three potential repurposed drugs for clinical trials

The surging second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has been putting tremendous strain on the healthcare facilities in both the public and private sector with scores of patients lining up for admission. This has also had an effect on the ongoing clinical trials for various drugs and vaccine candidates even as hospitals and staff remain busy with patient care. CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) has lined up at least three potential repurposed drugs — Niclosamide, Colchicine and Chlorpromazine — in association with other CSIR labs for clinical trials. “While this is the time to initiate clinical trials with many patients being admitted in hospitals, we are conscious that it will also put pressure on doctors partnering for clinical trials because, they have to monitor these patients much more closely and record many more parameters,” pointed out IICT director S. Chandrasekhar. The institute has pioneered the process technology of Favipiravir and Remdesivir, repurposed for treatment of COVID-19 and is also working closely with indigenous pharmaceutical industries for development of the next generation of antivirals and other drugs.