Federal COVID-19 study to test a promising drug cocktail

Remdesivir vial.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Beta interferon, an anti-inflammatory drug that has already been approved for treatment of multiple sclerosis, is being paired with remdesivir in the latest phase of a federal coronavirus trial, The New York Times reports.

The remdesivir-focused study has found it can quicken the recovery time of COVID-19 patients, but researchers are seeking to boost its effects by combining it with other treatments. Beta interferon is the second drug to get the call — the results of the study's second phase which involved an anti-inflammatory arthritis drug are still being evaluated — and scientists are hopeful, per the Times.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.