New drugs/vaccines take a long time to develop and an even longer time to distribute. Some experts predict it will take many countries seven years to vaccinate 75% of their populations.
Repurposing existing drugs is much faster. Unfortunately, nearly all clinical trials of repurposed drugs have been conducted via inpatient trials
These require participants to be hospitalized before joining the trial
Viruses respond best when treated early, not late.
As a result, inpatient trials have had limited success because patients receive treatments too late
“I strongly support the work CETF is doing. Testing the top antiviral drugs must be our #1 priority. It is critical to raise funds to enable this testing to take place as soon as possible.”
Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, PhD
Pulitzer Prize winning author
Researcher & Physician
Columbia University
"It's invigorating to see that CETF is working to fund COVID-19 research in a rapid and collaborative manner and focusing their resources on strategies that are likely to have the greatest immediate impact."
Chetan Bettegowda
Professor of Neurosurgery and Oncology
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
"We agree with CETF that preventative approaches have the best chance of alleviating suffering and death from COVID-19 and commend them for supporting these much needed lines of investigation."
Bert Vogelstein
Professor of Oncology
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions