COVID R&D Alliance launches trial of Amgen, UCB, Takeda drugs
DEENA BEASLEY AMGEN Inc, UCB SA and Takeda Pharmaceuticals Inc has launched a global trial to identify whether any of three different drugs can reduce the severity of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients by moderating the immune system's response to the disease. The drugmakers are part of the COVID Research & Development Alliance, a group of more than 20 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies cooperating to speed development of therapies for the disease that has killed more than 1.4 million people worldwide. The study initially will test whether Amgen's psoriasis drug Otezla, Takeda's experimental anti-inflammatory lanadelumab, and UCB's experimental immune system-inhibitor zilucoplan…