Finding the right treatment

Dr Chow (right) on her rounds at non-Covid-19 medical ward..- Picture Courtesy of Dr Chow Ting Soo

GEORGE TOWN: A team of medical experts here has been putting in endless hours to carry out tests to find the right drugs to treat patients afflicted with Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has claimed many lives and ravaged economies around the world since January.

Penang Hospital infectious disease consultant Dr Chow Ting Soo (pic), who is leading the team of 16 physicians and pharmacists, said they were gathering data and comparing the safety and effectiveness of four treatment protocols using different combinations of remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir, interferon beta, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.The team’s effort is a research initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the Solidarity Trial.

In April, the Health Ministry and WHO announced that Malaysia had been selected to participate in the global trial to test drugs to treat Covid-19.