An arthritis drug that was seen as a promising treatment for some Covid-19 patients delivered disappointing results in clinical studies, its makers, the drug firms Regeneron and Sanofi, said Monday.
The result could have an impact not only for their treatment, Kevzara, but also for a similar drug from Roche, Actemra, that is being used off-label in many hospitals. It also may lower the odds that other repurposed medicines used against autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis will benefit Covid-19 patients.
Pfizer Restarts Trial Recruitment, Speeds up Antiviral Work Against COVID-19
In its first-quarter results posted today, Big Pharma Pfizer said it is beginning to reopen some stalled trials and is now months ahead of schedule to develop a potential new med against COVID-19. A month ago, just as the pandemic was picking up pace in the U.S. and Europe and lockdowns began, Pfizer said it was hitting pause on enrollment in many new and ongoing clinical trials in response to COVID-19.
But in the past few days, the U.S. giant said it has now begun “to restart recruitment across the development portfolio, including new study starts, at all clinical trial sites that are currently operational” and where Pfizer and investigators are able to “monitor safety.”
Clinical Trials for COVID-19 Vaccine to Begin in Rochester
For 25 years, RCR has conducted vaccine tests. The process to develop a vaccine for Ebola, a disease similar to the coronavirus, took more than five years. With much of the focus on healthcare during this pandemic, there has been progress in the lab. More than 71 vaccines are in development; five of them have progressed to clinical trials. The sixth will be in Rochester. Rochester Clinical Research is seeking healthy volunteers between ages 19 to 85.