EIGHTY-ONE persons with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are participating in the “Solidarity Trial” of the World Health Organization, which aims to find a cure for the disease, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Thursday.
The 81 patients are from 12 of the 24 hospitals and medical facilities participating in the international trial, according to the Department of Health.
The 12 are the Makati Medical Center, with 19 participating patients; Philippine General Hospital, 14; Lung Center of the Philippines, 13; The Medical City, 10; University of the East – Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center and Manila Medical Center, five each; Cardinal Santos Medical Center and Asian Hospital and Medical Center, four each; San Lazaro Hospital, three; St. Luke’s Medical Center – QC, two; and St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global and and Manila Doctors Hospital, with one each.
The DOH has said 500 slots have been allocated for COVID-19 patients from the Philippines.
At least 100 countries are participating in the WHO-lead Solidarity Trial that tests the safety and effectiveness of four possible cures for COVID-19.
Involved in the trials are the investigational antiviral drug remdesivir; the antimalarial drug chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine; the antiretroviral drugs Lopinavir with Ritonavir which are used to treat HIV; and and Lopinavir with Ritonavir plus Interferon beta-1a.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the objective of the trial “is to really prove whether the anecdotal report as to their effectiveness and efficacy can be validated via this Solidarity Trial.”
