(stock photo)Irish patients who are hospitalised with Covid-19 will benefit from a fund of €2.4m which is being invested by the outgoing Government in an international trial to find new treatments for the disease. Minister for Health Simon Harris said today he has signed the agreement on behalf of the Government to enable Ireland’s participation in the World Health Organisation (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Trial. The WHO Solidarity Trial is an international collaboration amongst WHO and participating international member countries and researchers to evaluate potential COVID-19 treatments. The Solidarity Trial has recruited over 5,000 patients to date, in over 400 hospitals and across 35 countries, with another 100 countries awaiting approval to participate in the trial. “There are still no proven treatments for COVID-19 and it is really important that any potential treatments are prescribed within the context of clinical trials where patients provide consent and everything is controlled and monitored."

Source: Irish Independent June 26, 2020 11:03 UTC