The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has begun research into the antibody responses of Covid-19 vaccines in pregnant and postnatal mothers. The MOMI-VAX study is being conducted by the NIAID-funded Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC). Researchers will assess the development and durability of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in those vaccinated during pregnancy or in the first two postnatal months. They will also evaluate vaccine safety and transfer of antibodies to infants.

The University of Oxford is testing the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19. The study is part of UK government-backed research aiming to support recoveries outside hospital settings. Laboratory studies have shown the drug to reduce virus replication, with a small pilot showing that an early administration of the drug could reduce viral load, as well as the duration of the symptoms in some patients infected with mild Covid-19.

Senhwa Biosciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has submitted an investigational new drug application to India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization to evaluate Silmitasertib, its investigational candidate for Covid-19 treatment. The Phase II multi-centre, randomised-controlled, interventional prospective trial will assess the safety, benefit, and anti-viral activity of the drug in about 50 hospitalised Covid-19 patients.