Roche mixes Actemra with Gilead's remdesivir in Covid-19 trial

Roche plans to test if mixing its anti-inflammation drug Actemra with Gilead Sciences Inc's anti-viral treatment remdesivir works better against severe Covid-19 pneumonia than remdesivir alone, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday.

Actemra and remdesivir are being used separately in some settings and clinical trials, with the former drug used to tackle massive immune reactions that sometimes occur in patients stricken with the new coronavirus and the latter aimed at interfering with viral replication, the Reuters reported.

Roche is hoping that by combining the two in a global study of 450 hospitalised patients worldwide, it will be able to offer