Roche rheumatism drug does not reduce Covid-19 deaths
Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche says a drug normally used to treat other medical conditions has failed to prove its effectiveness at alleviating the symptoms of Covid-19.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/mga
Español
es
Medicamento para el reumatismo no reduce muertes por COVID-19
Phase III clinical trials on Actemra/RoActemra, in combination with Veklury, did not meet the primary goal of helping coronavirus patients recover faster and shorten their hospital stay.
There was also insufficient evidence that the drug cocktail improved mortality rates or reduced the number of patients who required ventilator or oxygen support.
“Actemra/RoActemra is not approved for the treatment of Covid-19 pneumonia,” Roche announced on Thursday. The trials did not indicate any negative side-effects, the company added.
It was hoped that the drug, which has been approved for use against rheumatoid arthritis, could control Covid-19 symptoms in patients when combined with Veklury, which is produced by US biotech firm Gilead.
But Roche added that Actemra might still play some role in the treatment of Covid-19. It said that the trial data “suggests a potential role for Actemra in treating certain patients with Covid-19 and will discuss the results with health authorities.”
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Roche bids to co-develop potential oral Covid-19 treatment
This content was published on
The Basel-based company has partnered with Atea Pharmaceuticals to develop, manufacture and distribute the latter’s oral anti-Covid-19 treatment.
Swiss group says machines can conduct 30m virus antibody tests
This content was published on
Swiss medical diagnostics company Quotient is poised to release machines that can conduct large scale coronavirus antibody tests.
‘Anti-malaria drug can kill coronavirus’: Novartis chief
This content was published on
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis believes the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine offers one of the best hopes to combat coronavirus.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.