The World Health Organization on Wednesday said a clinical trial in 52 countries will study three anti-inflammatory drugs as potential treatments for COVID-19 patients.

"These therapies - artesunate, imatinib and infliximab – were selected by an independent expert panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients," it said in a statement.

Artesunate is already used for severe malaria, imatinib for certain cancers, and infliximab for diseases of the immune system such as Crohn's Disease and rheumatoid arthritis.