KAIMRC Invites Saudi Arabia's Hospitals to Participate in Clinical Trials on Coronavirus

King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) has invited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s hospitals to participate in several clinical trials approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), where it is expected that its benefits will be attributed to patients and to Saudi Arabia’s role in enriching the established medical practices based on scientific evidence.
The Center is currently conducting several clinical trials on Covid-19 using different antivirals. The first study bears the name (Avi Mild 19) for a trial on favipiravir that was manufactured in Japan and used in cases of mild illness. The second study is called “FACT”, based on trying a compound of favipraver and hydroxychloroquine that is used as an anti-malaria in cases of moderate disease, which is carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the third study is about extracting plasma from the blood of those recovering from coronavirus, which is also carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. The center is conducting the fourth study which is based on comparing different Coronavirus treatment protocols to assess the best of them.
The Executive Director of KAIMRC, Dr. Ahmed Al-Askar said, "Since there is still no antiviral for Coronavirus approved by the SFDA, any medicine that is currently available is a subject of experiment."
Dr. Al-Askar stressed that the increasing number of clinical trials is one of the indicators of the society’s medical and scientific development. He added that these studies come within the initiatives of Saudi Vision 2030 regarding medical research being led by KAIMRC with the support of National Industrial Development and Logistics Program in order to disseminate the culture of research and clinical trials in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.