Daily Times

In search of reliable treatment for COVID-19, the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore, on Wednesday launched ‘Landmark National Drug Trial: PROTECT’ at Sargodha University.

The trial named PROTECT (Pakistan Randomized Observational Trial to Evaluate Coronavirus Treatment) aimed to evaluate how Hydroxychloroquine could be used to treat coronavirus alone or with other medicines.

Prof Dr Javed Akram, the Vice Chancellor UHS briefed the meeting held at Syndicate Hall of SU, attended by Vice Chancellor Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad, SMC Principal Dr Humaira Akram, MS District and Teaching Headquarter Hospital Sargodha Dr Ghulam Shabbir, and other senior medical specialists of SMC.

While sharing the final version of PROTECT with 550 subjects, the Vice Chancellor UHS claimed that drug trial was the biggest trial being carried on COVID-19/SARS COV 2. In this research center, doctors from across Pakistan and other countries will conduct research on the genotype of the virus along with the mutations in it.

Prof Dr Javed Akram briefed the meeting about the effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine Phosphate/Sulfate (200 mg orally 8hr thrice a day for 5 days) vs oseltamivir (75 mg Orally twice a day for 5 days) vs Azithromycin (500 mg orally daily on day 1, followed by 250 mg orally twice a day on days 2-5) alone and in combination (in all seven groups), in clearing the coronavirus nucleic acid from throat and nasal swab on day 7 of follow-up.

“The drug trial is set to be completed in two weeks and everyone is quite hopeful for successful results from it, he said adding that the governor of Punjab has also promised to implement the positive result of these researches in not only Punjab but also across the country.”

On the occasion, Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad said that the country has seen a significant spike in COVID-19 positive cases and the success of this drug trial will be a ray of hope in the current situation. SMC doctors and other staff were already working in very vulnerable circumstances as frontline soldiers and they will also play due role in making PROTECT successful, he added.