COVID-19 Update

CADTH is committed to supporting Canada’s health care decision-makers through this challenging and uncertain time.

Our COVID-19 Evidence Portal contains the latest COVID-19 information from CADTH and other respected organizations. Content is updated daily to reflect the rapidly changing and increasing international scientific evidence related to this disease.

The following is a summary of the most recent information posted to our COVID-19 portal.

Reports

Bamlanivimab in the Treatment of Outpatients With COVID-19: A Critical Appraisal of an Interim Analysis of the BLAZE-1 Trial

• We conducted a Health Technology Review on bamlanivimab, a drug authorized (with terms and conditions) by Health Canada to treat adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age or older with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19 illness and/or hospitalization.
• This drug is administered intravenously.

Bamlanivimab Implementation Panel

• This report includes the perspectives of a panel of interdisciplinary clinical specialists with experience in the treatment of patients with symptoms of COVID-19. The panel was convened by CADTH to explore different perspectives regarding the use of bamlanivimab in Canada.
• This report provides a review of issues that require consideration for the prioritization and optimization of the use of bamlanivimab in Canadian health care systems.
• A synthesis of information is presented to summarize different perspectives on implementation of this therapy, such as available guidelines and appraisals by other health technology assessment agencies.
• This work was undertaken to support the pandemic response when evidence-informed perspectives may be useful to support decision-making.

Saliva-Based Testing as an Alternative to Traditional COVID-19 Testing Techniques

• This newsletter article provides an overview of saliva-based testing for COVID-19.
• The article briefly explores the different types of COVID-19 tests, the potential advantages of using saliva samples for testing, the clinical evidence, and the current practice in Canada.

Ongoing Trials for Drugs in the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19

• This report provides information on ongoing randomized controlled trials of drugs being investigated to treat or prevent COVID-19.
• It will be updated every 2 weeks.
• Ongoing trials of vaccines and plasma-based therapies are addressed in separate CADTH reports.

COVID-19 News

Visit our COVID-19 news page to stay on top of all the emerging information we are monitoring and updating. Here’s the latest news:

• Interleukin-6 Receptor Antagonists: Tocilizumab and Sarilumab

On January 7, 2021, preliminary results on the efficacy of interleukin-6 receptor antagonists in critically ill patients with COVID-19 were released in a pre-print.

CADTH Literature Searching Tools

To help conduct your COVID-19–related literature searches, see our COVID-19 Search Strings and our COVID-19 Grey Literature Resources.

Additional Resources

CADTH is pleased to showcase additional COVID-19 resources from our partner organizations and the Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments’ health jurisdictions:

• Pan-Canadian Health Organizations
• Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Information

CAN’T FIND WHAT YOU NEED? LET US KNOW

Canadian ministries and departments of health, publicly funded organizations responsible for health service delivery, and clinical society stakeholders are encouraged to submit a request or contact their CADTH Liaison Officer. We’re here to help.

The CADTH Weekly COVID-19 Update is intended to keep you informed about the latest information posted on the CADTH COVID-19 portal. You’re receiving this update because you’ve subscribed to our CADTH e-alert system.