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Profiles

COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group

The COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group (CPTG) was an ad hoc external advisory group convened by the Public Health Agency of Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group's work concluded on March 30, 2021 officially "because of the welcome entry of effective and safe vaccines to the Canadian health care system."[1]

Activities

The group met several times and released statements on COVID-19 therapeutics.

  • Remdesivir: The CPTH “recommends that remdesivir should only be administered as part of a randomized controlled trial to monitor whether potential benefits of remdesivir outweigh known and potential risks in the treatment of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.”[2]

  • Hydroxychloroquine: The CPTH “recommends against the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for patients with COVID-19 due to negligible evidence of efficacy and significant potential for harm leading to a high risk to benefit ratio. This guidance is not meant to replace clinical judgement or specialist consultation.”[3]

  • Dexamethasone: The CPTH “recommends that among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who require supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation, dexamethasone 6 mg IV for 10 days (or until discharge, if earlier) or equivalent glucocorticoid dose should be strongly considered. This guidance is not meant to replace clinical judgment or specialist consultation.”[4]

Members

Name Position Notes
Marina Salvadori Co-Chair[5] Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
Michael Rieder Co-Chair University of Western Ontario
Marie Lordkipanidze External Expert University of Montreal
Richard Hall External Expert Dalhousie University
Micheline Piquette-Miller External Expert University of Toronto
Abby Collier External Expert University of British Columbia (UBC)
Srinivas Murthy External Expert University of British Columbia (UBC)
Jonathan Kimmelman External Expert McGill University

  1. Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021, June 15). COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2022.04.01-013805/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/mandate/about-agency/external-advisory-bodies/list/covid-19-clinical-pharmacology-task-group.html%23a3 ↩︎

  2. Forbes, N., Patel, M., Rieder, M., & Salvadori, M. (2020, November 23). Statement on remdesivir: Ad-hoc COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group. Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20201227053515/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/mandate/about-agency/external-advisory-bodies/list/covid-19-clinical-pharmacology-task-group/statement-remdesivir.html ↩︎

  3. Forbes, N., Patel, M., Rieder, M., & Salvadori, M. (2020, October 22). Statement on hydroxychloroquine: COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2020.11.12-041820/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/mandate/about-agency/external-advisory-bodies/list/covid-19-clinical-pharmacology-task-group/statement-hydroxycholoroquine.html ↩︎

  4. Forbes, N., Patel, M., Rieder, M., & Salvadori, M. (2020, November 23). Statement on dexamethasone: COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2020.12.27-053419/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/mandate/about-agency/external-advisory-bodies/list/covid-19-clinical-pharmacology-task-group/statement-dexamethasone.html%23a5 ↩︎

  5. Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021, June 15). Ad-hoc COVID-19 Clinical Pharmacology Task Group: Terms of reference. Government of Canada. http://archive.today/2023.07.10-012445/https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/mandate/about-agency/external-advisory-bodies/list/covid-19-clinical-pharmacology-task-group/terms-reference.html%23a31 ↩︎