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14 April 2020updated 06 Oct 2020 9:45am

AstraZeneca to trial blood cancer drug as Covid-19 treatment

By Samuel Horti

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has launched a global trial to test the effectiveness of Calquence, currently used to treat lyphoma and leukemia, in Covid-19 patients.

The company will trial whether Calquence, a brand name of the drug acalabrutinib, could treat the hyperactive immune response associated with severe Covid-19. AstraZeneca’s executive vice president of research & development oncology José Baselga said the company hopes to demonstrate “that adding Calquence to best supportive care reduces the need to place patients on ventilators and improves their chances of survival”.

Read the full story at Pharmaceutical Technology

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