COVID-19: Nigeria has Expressed Interest to be Part of Coronavirus Drug Trials – WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that Nigeria has expressed interest to be part of the global solidarity drug trial to tackle COVID-19 pandemic and that the process would soon start in the country.

The Officer in charge, WHO Nigeria and member of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Dr. Fiona Braka, told Daily Trust in an exclusive interview on Saturday in Abuja that what Nigeria signed up for was drug trial and not vaccine trial, as there was yet no vaccine for the COVID-19.

According to her, the four drugs that will be monitored in the solidarity trial are Remdesivir; Chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine; Lopinavir; and Ritonavir.

She said that over 100 countries have joined the solidarity trial and that till date, over 1,200 patients have been randomized from the first five countries to evaluate the relative effectiveness of the drugs with regards to Covid-19.

She also said that 89 vaccines are being developed globally, including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics in clinical trials to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. “Nigeria has also expressed interest to be part of this solidarity trial and efforts are underway to start the process in Nigeria. The solidarity trial is not experimenting on new drugs, as the drugs in use currently are re-purposed and safe drugs. WHO is not commencing vaccine trials in Nigeria, there is no vaccine available yet and it will take another 12-18 months before one is available,” she said.