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Fauci and the use of remdesivir against covid-19 1:47
(CNN Spanish) - Much has been said recently about the encouraging results of a clinical study on remdesivir, an antiviral drug that could be used to combat the symptoms of coronavirus, which on the other hand has not The truth is that there is still no vaccine or treatment definitive against the virus that has put the world on alert. While hundreds of medical teams around the world are fighting a battle against time to prevent further increases in cases and deaths from covid-19, we tell you what some possible treatments are about and what results they have had.
Remdesivir
It is an experimental drug produced by the company Gilead Sciences. The company describes it as a "nucleotide analog with broad-spectrum antiviral activity."
The key word here is experimental, since as the company clarifies, remdesivir has not been approved for any use by any country in the world.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved any medications for the treatment of coronavirus. But it plans to announce an emergency use authorization for remdesivir, according to The New York Times. The authorization could come soon, the newspaper reported, citing a senior administration official.
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In a statement to CNN, the FDA said it is in talks with Gilead Sciences, the maker of remdesivir, about making the drug available to patients.
Gilead Sciences said Wednesday that covid-19 patients who took the investigational remdesivir antiviral for 5 to 10 days saw similar results in a study led by the company.
However, a small study in China showed that remdesivir did not help people recover more quickly from coronavirus infections.
LOOK: What is remdesivir, the medicine that could help covid-19 patients?
The study may have been too small to clearly show whether the drug helps.
Experts say it will take a lot more testing and a little longer before it becomes clear if remdesivir can help patients recover from covid-19 infections.
Hydroxychloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine, also known by the brand name Plaquenil, and its analog, chloroquine, are derived from quinine, which French chemists isolated in 1820 from the bark of the cinchona tree, according to Medicines for Malaria Venture. In 1934, German scientists created synthetic chloroquine as part of a class of antimalarials, MMV said. Hydroxychloroquine is the least toxic version of chloroquine.
The weapons we have against the coronavirus 2:55US President Donald Trump believes that drugs can be a powerful weapon against Covid-19, he says, "and there are signs that it works on this, some very strong signs." He also believes that taking the drug could be helpful as a preventive measure for health workers, he said.
The Brazilian Federal Medical Council (CFM) last week authorized the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of covid-19 in only three cases and provided there is agreement between doctor and patient.
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However, one showed that cornavirus patients taking hydroxychloroquine had the same propensity to need mechanical ventilation and had higher death rates compared to those who did not take the drug, according to a study of hundreds of patients in the Health Administration. of United States Veterans.
Studies in Brazil and Sweden have detected side effects in patients: they developed heart problems. And a study in France found that it did not fight covid-19 and was also associated with cardiac complications.
With no cure for covid-19, this is what we are testing 2:38Famotidine
Famotidine is used in the treatment of stomach ulcers, indigestion, heartburn and reflux, explains the Mayo Clinic.
It is the main component of medicines like Pepcid and Fluxid and is part of the group of substances known as H2 blockers. "It works by decreasing the amount of acid in the stomach," explains the Mayo Clinic.
MIRA: What is famotidine? Heartburn Drug May Fight Covid-19
So far, 187 patients have enrolled in the clinical trial, and Northwell finally expects to be around 1,200, Dr. Kevin Tracey, president of the Feinstein Institutes of Medical Research at Northwell Health, which runs 23 hospitals in the city, told CNN. NY.
Tracey and her colleagues came up with the idea of studying famotidine after noting that some patients in China who took the drug fared better than patients who did not.
Patients in the hospital study are taking megadoses intravenously, about nine times more than what someone would normally take for heartburn.
Convalescent Plasma
The US Food and Drug Administration. USA he has asked recovered patients with covid-19 to donate blood plasma that could potentially be used to help sick patients or fight disease.
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The idea is that the convalescent plasma of recovered patients - the liquid part of the blood - contains antibodies that could help strengthen the immune response of other patients who are still fighting the infection. Patients who have been fully recovered from covid-19 for at least two weeks are advised to consider donating plasma, the FDA said.
According to the FDA, more than 1,040 sites and 950 medical researchers across the country have signed up to participate in an effort led by the Mayo Clinic to expand access to plasma. The FDA also noted in its announcement that several clinical trials are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma, and has also awarded several new drug applications in emergency research for a single patient.
Treatment