Korea is carrying out 13 clinical trials on treatments and two studies on vaccines related to Covid-19, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday

The nation is conducting two phase-3, four phase-2, and seven investigator-initiated trials. Of the 13 Covid-19 treatments under trials, four were developed by Korean and are phase 2 trials.

Two vaccine studies are in the early stages of phase 1 or 2. One of the two, GX-19, was developed in the nation.

The ministry said it is considering using immunosuppressant Dexamethasone on patients with severe Covid-19 symptoms.

In a recent clinical study in the United Kingdom, Dexamethasone showed a treatment effect to lower the fatality of severe patients. The drug is used to treat various diseases, including rheumatism, various skin diseases, severe allergy, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

"It seems to be appropriate for doctors to observe severe Covid-19 patients' conditions and administer Dexamethasone as the drug suppresses the immune response and has shown a therapeutic effect," the ministry said in a press release.

The drug is in good supply and demand in Korea, the ministry said. There are 14 products, and about 43 million tablets and 60 million shots are manufactured annually.

All five studies on hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug found to have no therapeutic effect on Covid-19, have been terminated.