Repurposing Drugs to Treat COVID-19.

• Position: NIH

A large, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial to test several existing prescription and over-the-counter medications for people to self-administer to treat symptoms of COVID-19 is being funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Part of the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) public--private partnership, the ACTIV-6 trial aims to provide evidence-based treatment options for the majority of adult patients with COVID-19 who have mild-to-moderate symptoms and are not sick enough to be hospitalized.

"While we're doing a good job with treating hospitalized patients with severe disease, we don't currently have an approved medication that can be self-administered to ease symptoms of people suffering from mild disease at home, and reduce the chance of their needing hospitalization," says NIH Director Francis S. Collins. "ACTIV-6 will evaluate whether certain drugs showing promise in small trials can pass the rigor of a larger trial."

Several drugs currently are recommended for the treatment of...