The World Health Organization has announced major international trials of three drugs to find out whether they improve the condition of hospitalised Covid patients.
Artesunate, imatinib and infliximab will be tested on thousands of volunteer patients in more than 600 hospitals in 52 countries.
Artesunate is a treatment for severe malaria; imatinib a drug used for certain cancers and infliximab a treatment for immune system disorders such as Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis. "Finding more effective and accessible therapeutics for Covid-19 patients remains a critical need," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.