3 drugs that have failed to benefit COVID-19 patients in clinical trials

As scientists work to find therapies to treat COVID-19, many drugs have been tested to see if they can be repurposed to treat the virus. 

Here are three that failed: 

  1. AstraZeneca's Calquence — The drugmaker tested its blood cancer drug, Calquence, to see whether it could help hospitalized COVID-19 patients recover. A phase 2 trial showed the drug didn't result in fewer deaths or respiratory failures.

  2. Novartis' Ilaris — Novartis tested its arthritis drug Ilaris to see whether it could improve survival rates of COVID-19 patients. Clinical trials found the drug didn't show any benefit for the  patients.

  3. Sanofi & Regeneron's Kevzara — The drugmakers' rheumatoid arthritis drug Kevzara was tested to see its anti-inflammatory qualities would help  COVID-19 patients, but the drug didn't significantly shorten patients' hospital stays in a study of 420 people. 

Several drugs are still in clinical trials testing their benefit against the virus, including an inhaled version of interferon, a drug commonly used to treat multiple sclerosis; AbbVie's rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira; and Eli Lilly's Olumiant, another rheumatoid arthritis drug.

 

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