Questions remain on DRDO’s COVID drug
Updated:
Updated:
May 12, 2021 08:33 IST
Experts flag lack of published data on performance in human trials, history of drug’s use in cancer cure
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On the frontline: A team of doctors and nurses at work in a COVID care centre near Ahmedabad.
Experts flag lack of published data on performance in human trials, history of drug’s use in cancer cure
A drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for “emergency use” in those with moderate to severe COVID may soon make its way to hospitals for treating moderate and severely ill patients, but independent experts say that from the information so far available, the drug s utility in COVID care has not been established.
Jessica Chappell experienced her 40th birthday in hospital, on her own, with one crushing thought: is this the year I die? It was July and COVID-19 cases were on the rise, forcing the Geelong mum into a medical bubble as she was treated for liver failure and encephalitis - an infection on the brain. Ms Chappell had been in and out of hospital since February after suffering severe and debilitating complications from autoimmune hepatitis, a condition brought on by the birth of her daughter 10 years ago. Her 73-year-old mum, Joy Ipsen, dropped everything to become her carer and home schoolteacher for Meadow, her 10-year-old daughter.