washington the world health organization who is set to restart an international clinical trial of three existing drugs that can save the lives of people hospitalised with covid19 this time the trial is aimed dampening inflammation an approach that has already shown promise nature reportedthe clinical trial named solidarity was first announced on march 18 by who directorgeneral tedros adhanom ghebreyesusthe latest trial will test three drugs that dampen inflammation infliximab imatinib and artesunateall three drugs were carefully chosen on the basis of the promise they showed in smaller clinical trials and widespread availability johnarne rottingen scientific director of the norwegian institute of public health was quoted as sayingyou need at least promising signals that some of them will work and we need to study drugs that we can deliver in a broad group of countries added rottingen who is also the chair of the solidarity trials international steering committeethe drug infliximab is used to treat autoimmune conditions including crohns disease and rheumatoid arthritis it blocks a protein called tumour necrosis factoralpha tnfi which is released by immune cells called macrophages and promotes inflammationthe second in the trial is imatinib a cancer drug researchers hope that it will target both the coronavirus and inflammation blocking viral infiltration of human cells and reducing the activity of proinflammatory proteins called cytokines and the third drug to be tested is artesunate an antimalaria drug with potential antiinflammatory effects the report saideach of these drugs will be given alongside standard care rottingen saidhowever researchers must be careful that all these drugs do not suppress immune responses so much that people become vulnerable to other infections said djillali annane an intensivecare physician at the university of versailles in saintquentinenyvelines francethe first solidarity trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of four drugs and drug combinations remdesivir interferon the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and a combination of hiv drugs called lopinavir and ritonavir in treating covid19by october the trial had enrolled more than 11000 participants hospitalised with covid19 in 30 countries but the researcher found that none of the four drugs saved lives or shortened hospital stays