Vizag's King George Hospital starts phase-II trial of COVID-19 drug

Visakhapatnam: The King George Hospital (KGH) in Vizag started phase II clinical trials of a drug that can be used to treat moderate to severe COVID-19 cases. The drug has been developed by Navitas Life Sciences in association with the Defense Research Development Organisation (DRDO).

The first results will be out in two months and they will be sent to Navitas and DRDO, said a senior doctor who is part of the clinical trials.

Dr. Y. Gyana Sundar Raju, a professor of general medicine, is the principal investigator for the study.

Last month, the state government had given its nod to conduct two clinical trials at Andhra Medical College and King George Hospital.

The second trial is regarding phase-II and III single-blind randomised control study to determine the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India. The study is supported by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). Andhra Medical College and KGH authorities appointed Dr. B. Devi Madhavi, a professor of community medicine, as the principal investigator for the vaccine trial.

A notification will be issued calling for volunteers soon, a senior professor of the Andhra Medical College said.

“This is another advancement in the field of research and caters to the need of the hour,” the principal of Andhra Medical College and superintendent of KGH, Dr. P.V Sudhakar, said without giving details of the clinical trials.

An agreement has been made between King George Hospital, Navitas Life Sciences, and Serum Institute of India to develop the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the directorate of medical education is yet to approve the clinical trials for Covaxin, a vaccine for COVID-19, developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited and ICMR.