The CSIR and Laxai Life Sciences Private Limited have initiated phase II clinical trials of anti-helminitic drug ‘Niclosamide’ for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, a statement said on Sunday.
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A health worker administers a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to a benificiary, in Bengaluru.
Reliance Industries Ltd s R&D arm has proposed the use of Niclosamide - the drug used to treat tapeworm infestation - for treating COVID-19 patients.
Niclosamide, a drug on the World Health Organisation s list of essential medicines, has been used to treat tapeworm infestation for more than 50 years.
The oral antiviral drug was also used to treat patients during the SARS outbreak of 2003-04. The company submitted a proposal for the application of Niclosamide as a potential drug against COVID-19, the firm s latest annual report said. The drug regulator will now evaluate the proposal for public use.