Uganda has postponed clinical trials of three antiviral drugs developed locally to cure COVID-19, which were scheduled to start on Dec. 15, the health ministry announced Wednesday.
Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the ministry’s spokesperson, told Xinhua by phone that the trials of the drugs developed by local scientists at Uganda Virus Research Institute will start in January 2021, and that “the scientists are still working on the trial protocols.”
President Yoweri Museveni late last month announced that the trials of the drugs developed by local scientists will start on Dec. 15 and run for 40 days, so as to have enough patients treated and “convince the other persons that are not part of the trials that the drug works against the corona and other viruses.”
He said studies on COVID-19 patients treated from home in the East African country showed that the antiviral drugs kill the virus and also limit the virus-induced damage to the body.
“The scientists have told me that dozens of people have been healed by these substances but, starting Dec. 15, patients, under strict medical supervision, will have this medicine tried on them,” said Museveni in a televised address.
Uganda as of Tuesday had registered a cumulative number of 28,168 COVID-19 cases, 10,005 recoveries, and 225 deaths since the first case was reported on March 21 in the country.
