{"id":3149,"date":"2022-03-19T12:17:12","date_gmt":"2022-03-19T12:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worabia.com\/news\/top-trends\/3149\/"},"modified":"2022-03-19T12:17:12","modified_gmt":"2022-03-19T12:17:12","slug":"coronavirus-treatments-what-progress-is-being-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worabia.com\/news\/top-trends\/3149\/","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus treatments: What progress is being made?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vaccines have transformed the pandemic, but there is still a great need for drugs that can treat covid.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Immunity from vaccines may wane, and access remains a major problem around the world. Also, the new variants emphasize the possible need for a backup. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There are now many drugs that target the virus or our body in different ways:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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  • anti-inflammatory drugs that prevent our immune system from overreacting with deadly consequences<\/li>\n
  • antiviral drugs that make it harder for the coronavirus to replicate inside the body<\/li>\n
  • antibody therapies that mimic our own immune system to attack the virus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    All of these are needed at different stages of the infection. They range from dirt cheap to spectacularly expensive, with some being more resistant to new variants than others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    When you contract Covid, your body releases a flood of chemicals to warn you that you are under attack. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    This chemical alarm is called inflammation and it is vital for your immune system to recover from covid. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    But if you don’t get rid of the virus quickly, the inflammation can get out of control and eventually damage vital organs like the lungs. It is this excessive inflammation that kills.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    An anti-inflammatory steroid that already existed before Covid, dexamethasone, was the first drug that was shown to save the lives of people with Covid. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    It is given to seriously ill patients with breathing problems: it reduces the risk of death by a fifth for patients on oxygen and by a third for those on ventilators. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    It’s also so cheap that it’s become the world’s drug of choice, used everywhere from Brazil to China.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Other anti-inflammatory medications have been shown to work, including the steroid hydrocortisone and baricitinib, which is commonly used in rheumatoid arthritis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    There are more advanced and targeted anti-inflammatory drugs, such as tocilizumab and sarilumab. Tocilizumab has been widely used in hospitals in China, India, and Australia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    These are also effective, but up to 100 times more expensive than dexamethasone. This has restricted their use, although they are still cheaper than an intensive care bed. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Anti-inflammatories work better later in the illness, but an asthma drug called budesonide has been shown to help vulnerable people with early Covid symptoms recover more quickly at home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    An antiviral directly targets the ability of the coronavirus to make copies of itself inside our bodies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Such medication keeps the levels of the virus in the body low, so there is less for your immune system to deal with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    • Paxlovid is a pill that is taken twice a day for five days; according to its manufacturer, Pfizer, it reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% in vulnerable adults.<\/li>\n
    • Molnupiravir prevents the virus from making effective copies of itself: the manufacturer, Merck, estimates that it cuts the risk of hospitalization or death in half.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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      It is best to take both Paxlovid and molnupiravir soon after symptoms appear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      Pfizer expects to produce 80 million courses of Paxlovid by the end of 2022 and has said it will allow generic manufacturers in 95 low-income countries to produce and distribute it at cost.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      Merck is allowing Indian generic drug companies to produce low-priced molnupiravir for 100 low- and middle-income countries. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      Another antiviral, remdesivir, is administered by drip and reduces the recovery time from Covid. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      The third approach is to give people an infusion of antibodies that can attack the virus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      These stick to the surface of the coronavirus and mark it for destruction by the body’s immune system. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      The body produces its own antibodies when attacked by coronavirus. The most effective of these have been studied in the laboratory, grown, and administered to patients. This is known as monoclonal antibody therapy<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      • Vulnerable NHS patients to be offered new drug<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        These therapies are often reserved for seriously ill patients who are struggling to produce their own antibodies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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        • Ronapreve, from Regeneron and Roche, reduces hospital stay and risk of death <\/li>\n
        • Sotrovimab, manufactured by GSK, reduces the risk of hospitalization and death by 79% in high-risk adults<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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          A different monoclonal antibody treatment called Evushield, made by AstraZeneca, is recommended for some vulnerable people to prevent illness before they show signs of infection. This is known as prophylactic therapy. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          Anti-inflammatories should work against all variants because they target our own bodies, rather than the virus itself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          There is more concern about whether monoclonal antibodies would work with new variants, as they are based on being a close match for the virus. If a new variant is heavily mutated, it theoretically makes the drugs weaker. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          However, GSK says it has tested its therapy against the Omicron variant and it remains effective in laboratory studies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          Antivirals are expected to resist the variants seen so far. None of the mutations seen in Omicron should affect the ability of the drugs to work. However, if the drugs are widely used, there is a chance that drug resistance will emerge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          Various drugs have been heralded as potential therapies for Covid-19, sometimes with no sign that they actually make a difference. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          Ivermectin has been controversially promoted for use in many parts of the world, despite no evidence that it works.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          The extraction of antibodies from the blood of survivors, known as convalescent plasma therapy, has been promoted, but has not reduced deaths.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          There was also speculation that drugs used to treat malaria and HIV might work, but this has come to nothing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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          Follow <\/i>James <\/i>On twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n