THE Philippines is now a part of the World Health Organization's collaborative effort to find a cure for the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Department of Health (DOH) undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire shared that the WHO has given the country's Single Joint Research Ethics Board (SJREB) the green light to join in the trials in developing an effective treatment to combat the virus last April 17.
More than 100 countries have participated in the project.
Vergeire added that the DOH is looking at conducting trials across 20 hospitals nationwide, which will involve at least 500 patients.
The tests are expected to start on Friday.
"Magbibigay kami ng information bukas kung talagang nakumpleto namin ang lahat ng dokumentong kailangan para makapagumpisa bukas yung trial," she said in her online press briefing on Thursday.
The test, to be spearheaded by SJREB, will be in conjuction with the WHO's global search for the cure against the coronavirus.
Four different combinations will be tested in the procedure: remdesivir, a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, another combination of lopinavir and ritonavir plus interferon beta, and chloroquine.
Their effectiveness will be compared to the current cure used by the hospitals treating the COVID-19 patients in the country.
