Chinese researchers have found a cure for severe Coronavirus- COVID-19 in an anti-inflammatory Drug by Swiss pharmaceutical company, Roche.
Actemra, a trade name for a decade-old anti-inflammation drug known as “tocilizumab” made by Roche, has been approved by the Chinese government to treat severe coronavirus symptoms. This comes at a time when countries around the world are desperately searching for ways to combat the deadly infection.
The Chinese government approved its use after several clinical trials on the lung problems shown during the severe stage of the disease.
According to reports by the Economic Times, 14 serious and critically ill patients treated with existing medicines at a hospital affiliated with the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) showed positive results.
Since its approval in 2010, Roche’s Actemra has been the drug of choice for inflammatory conditions, including cytokine storms in cancer patients receiving cell therapy, according to the pharmaceutical technology website . It is also used in Castleman’s disease, a kind of tumor of B cells.
The Swiss company, for which China is its No. 2 market behind the United States, is also making diagnostic gear to detect the coronavirus. Roche is also a foremost medical diagnostics company.
There are currently no clinical trials to check the margin of safety of the drug or its efficacy against all the stages of the virus.
The COVID-19 has affected over 90 countries in the world as it edges towards a pandemic. It has affected over 93,000 people in the world with over 3,000 deaths recorded.
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