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In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

February 14, 2022 by Anna Kovacevich

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The ANTICOV clinical trial will begin testing a new drug combination, fluoxetine and budesonide, as an early treatment for people affected with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. ANTICOV—a multi-country trial consortium coordinated by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative—aims to identify COVID-19 treatments optimized for use in resource-limited settings that can prevent progression to severe disease and potentially limit transmission. The new drug combination includes fluoxetine, better known by its brand name Prozac, and inhaled budesonide, a corticosteroid known to have potent anti-inflammatory efficacy in the lungs. Fluoxetine inhibits the ability of the virus to replicate by preventing viral entry into cells, while budesonide, if taken in an early stage of infection, improves recovery time in COVID-19 outpatients and may reduce hospitalizations and deaths, according to studies. Both drugs are commercially available, affordable, and easy to access and administer.

Public Health Vaccines (PHV) has launched a phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate a single-dose vaccine against Nipah virus, for which there is currently no available treatment or vaccine. The PHV02 vaccine, originally developed at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is being advanced by PHV with funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to support development through phase 2 clinical trials. The phase 1 trial will evaluate the vaccine candidate’s safety, tolerability, and dose response in humans and determine whether humans mount antibodies to neutralize Nipah virus similar to those found to be protective against illness and death in several animal models. If trial results are favorable, PHV plans to initiate a phase 2 trial in a disease-endemic region in 2022.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be elevated to the status of an autonomous public health agency for the continent instead of a technical arm of the African Union (AU), Africa CDC Director Dr. John Nkengasong announced last week at the 35th AU Summit. This development is a result of leaders’ renewed perception of disease as a security threat for the continent, according to Nkengasong, and signals growing member state commitment to strengthening the continent’s response to current and future disease outbreaks. The agency will now report directly to heads of state of AU member countries. The summit also included renewed calls for support of the African Medicines Agency treaty, which is now backed by 30 African countries, to set up a new regulatory body to facilitate improved access to medicines across the continent.

About the author

Anna KovacevichGHTC

Anna Kovacevich is a senior program assistant at GHTC who supports GHTC's communications and member engagement activities.