UK's Recovery trial to continue testing Roche drug for COVID-19

A major UK trial looking at whether some existing drugs may be used to treat COVID-19 is to continue testing Roche's arthritis drug Actemra, also known as tocilizumab, despite separate trial results on Wednesday showing it had no benefit.

A major UK trial looking at whether some existing drugs may be used to treat COVID-19 is to continue testing Roche's arthritis drug Actemra, also known as tocilizumab, despite separate trial results on Wednesday showing it had no benefit. "We will be continuing with the arm of the RECOVERY trial for the moment," a spokeswoman for the RECOVERY team told Reuters.

"We are investigating the use of tocilizumab for sicker patients, whereas the Roche trial looked at patients with milder disease," she added. Data from Roche earlier on Wednesday showed that a trial of Actemra/RoActemra drug to treat patients hospitalised with COVID-19-related pneumonia had failed