Artesunate for severe malaria will be researched by WHO as a treatment for COVID-19. ( Photo: mmv.org)

The drugs will be tested on thousands of volunteer patients at 600 hospitals in 52 countries.

Artesunate is used to treat severe malaria, Imatinib is used for some cancers, and Infliximab is used to treat an immune system disorder. The study will test multiple treatments using a single regimen to estimate each drug's impact on mortality.

The WHO has already tested the effectiveness of Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir, and Interferon, on 13,000 patients at 500 hospitals in 30 countries.