CUReD Website Launched by the Union Health Minister

Context

On October 20, the Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched an online portal. The portal will provide a detailed information about the numerous COVID-19 clinical trials that the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research is engaged in collaboration with the Industry, ministries and other government departments. 

Highlights 

• The website launched by Dr. Harsh Vardhan has been named as ‘CSIR Ushered Repurposed Drugs or ‘CUReD’.

• CUReD is a website that provides information on CSIR Partnered Clinical Trials.

• The website provides information about the drugs, diagnostics and devices along with the current stage of the trials, partnering institutions and their role in the trials and other details.

• The website can be accessed at https://www.iiim.res.in/cured/ or http://db.iiim.res.in/ct/index.php.

• These two online portals hosted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will act as a repository for all information related to vaccine development in India.

• For the potential treatment of COVID-19, CSIR is exploring several combination clinical trials of anti-virals with host-directed therapies. 

• CSIR also works for clinical trials of AYUSH drugs with the Ministry of AYUSH and has undertaken safety and efficacy trials of AYUSH prophylactics and therapeutics based on individual plant-based compounds and in combination.

• Five clinical trials involving Withaniasomnifera, Tinosporacordifolia and Piper longum (in combination), Glycyrrhizaglabra, Tinosporacordifolia and Adhatodavasica (individually and in combination) and AYUSH-64 formulation are undergoing safety and efficacy trials.

• Sepsivac (Mw) against COVID -19 in collaboration with Cadila is a key clinical trial of CSIR.

• The phase two clinical trial has been completed successfully on critically ill COVID-19 patients, and more extensive Phase three trial is on the anvil. 

• The Phase two trial of phytopharmaceutical AQCH on Covid-19 patients with Sun Pharma and DBT is also underway.

• Along with clinical trials of repurposed drugs and vaccines, CSIR has been involved in clinical trials of diagnostics and devices.