World must scale up clinical trials to address COVID-19: WHO

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrives at a news conference organized by Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland on July 3, 2020. (REUTERS File Photo)

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrives at a news conference organized by Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland on July 3, 2020. (REUTERS File Photo)

ZURICH, September 10 (Reuters): The head of the World Health Organization urged countries on Thursday to contribute resources that can expedite products which may help stem the coronavirus pandemic.

The WHO's ACT-Accelerator programme already supports research into potential vaccines, drugs and diagnostics, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online event.

"But we need to rapidly scale up our clinical trials, manufacturing, licensing and regulation capacity so that these products can get to people and start saving lives," he said.