Glossary: ​​drugs and substances that have been linked to covid-19

(CNN Spanish) ––

During the two years of the covid-19 pandemic, several drugs and other chemical substances that supposedly work against the virus have become popular.

However, in this case the remedy may be worse than the disease: the vast majority of them do not have scientific support and some even represent a danger to health.

Names like ivermectin, remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, and even disinfectants have fallen into the category of coronavirus "remedies" and are not really such.

And that, we insist, they can be a risk for those who ingest them.

In this glossary you can find the drugs and substances linked to covid-19, as well as what science and health organizations say about them.

Approved

Paxlovid:

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first oral antiviral treatment against COVID-19 in December 2021.

It is Paxlovid, a pill manufactured by Pfizer.

It is approved for use in high-risk adults and children 12 years of age and older, weighing at least 40 kilograms.

This is the FDA's first green-lit COVID-19 antiviral pill for sick people to take at home, before symptoms become severe enough to necessitate hospitalization.

Pfizer released updated results showing that the treatment reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% if given to high-risk adults within days of their first symptoms.

If given within the first five days of symptoms, the efficacy was similar: 88%

According to Pfizer, the pill is given in combination with an older antiviral drug called ritonavir, and is to be taken at home before people get sick enough to go to the hospital.

How long before?

In the aforementioned period of three to five days after the appearance of covid-19 symptoms.

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Read more about Paxlovid.

Molnupiravir:

The FDA authorized in December 2021 the emergency use of Merck's covid-19 pill, molnupiravir, "for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results in the direct viral tests for SARS-CoV-2, and who have a high risk of progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death, and for whom FDA-authorized alternative COVID-19 treatment options are not accessible or clinically appropriate ".

Molnupiravir is given as four 200-milligram capsules by mouth every 12 hours for five days.

In total, there are 40 capsules.

The FDA explained that the use of the pill "is not authorized for more than five consecutive days."

Read more about molnupiravir.

Bamlanivimab (or monoclonal antibodies):

The FDA authorized in November 2020 the emergency use of this therapy from Eli Lilly and Company to treat mild to moderate coronavirus infections in adults and children. However, being an emergency, that authorization included several requirements. Among them, it must be administered in a hospital or other approved health care facility, where specialists can act if the patient experiences an adverse reaction.

Additionally, the FDA added that "new data on safety and efficacy will continue to be evaluated." The antibody in bamlanivimab activates an immune response against infection that helps to cope with the effects of the coronavirus. The authorization was based on a study published in October 2020 that found that the treatment appeared to reduce the risk of hospitalization and alleviate some symptoms in COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate disease. 465 non-hospitalized adults with symptoms were analyzed. Also, it's important to note that treatment should be given as soon as possible after a positive COVID-19 test result, within 10 days of the onset of symptoms, according to the FDA. This treatment is not authorized for hospitalized patients or those requiring oxygen therapy.

REGN-COV2 (Regeneron Antibody Therapy): 

Regeneron's treatment also uses antibodies and received emergency use clearance from the FDA days after bamlanivimab. This therapy is approved for patients 12 years of age and older with a mild or moderate case of coronavirus who are at high risk of the disease becoming severe. When former President Donald Trump was infected with covid-19, he received this treatment to face the disease. REGN-COV2 combines two monoclonal antibodies and was designed to block the infectivity of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the company. They should also be given as soon as possible after symptoms appear. Large-scale clinical trials of this therapy are still ongoing. But nevertheless,some preliminary data published in October last year indicated that it worked safely and with few side effects.

Read more about bamlanivimab and REGN-COV2 here.

In study

Dexamethasone:

This is a steroid compound, specifically corticosteroid, which is generally used to treat certain kinds of arthritis, severe allergies, and asthma, among other conditions, including certain types of cancer.

UK researchers, who are part of the large Recovery Trial clinical trial, found that a 10-day low-dose dexamethasone regimen reduced the risk of death by a third among hospitalized trial patients requiring ventilation.

Now these findings are preliminary and the studies are ongoing.

In addition, the WHO warned that this drug should not be taken to prevent covid-19 or to treat mild symptoms.

The organization explains that dexamethasone shows promise "for treating seriously ill and critically ill patients, but it was not found to be beneficial for patients with mild symptoms."

In addition, the WHO points out that it is a "powerful anti-inflammatory that reduces the immune response and can increase the risk of contracting other infections."

So no, don't go out and buy it just like that, please.

What we know about dexamethasone against covid-19 1:35

Read more about dexamethasone here

Ivermectin: 

There is no solid scientific evidence yet to show that this anti-parasite drug is effective in treating COVID-19. Even when it has been included in the treatment of patients in several Latin American countries, some private doctors recommend it and its consumption has become popular. In this sense, Dr. Huerta affirmed that it is irresponsible that medicine is being promoted without scientific proof. For its part, PAHO emphasized that ivermectin is not recommended to combat covid-19 precisely due to the lack of evidence. And he added that the medicine is currently being used incorrectly and poses a risk to patient safety.

Along the same lines, the FDA indicated that in the US ivermectin is not approved –– not even emergency–– for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

And in an FDA publication titled "Why You Shouldn't Use Invermecithin to Prevent Covid-19" in September 2021, the FDA indicates that currently available data does not show that ivermectin is effective against COVID-19.

Ivermectin and covid-19: what the doctors say 6:06

Read more about ivermectin here. 

Famotidine:

Simply put, it is a common medication that is often used to combat heartburn.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it is part of the treatment for stomach ulcers, indigestion, heartburn and gastric reflux.

Since April 2020, it has been administered to coronavirus patients in New York hospitals as part of a trial that seeks to determine if it works for this disease.

So far, the results are preliminary.

In June 2020, a study on the clinical trial recorded that 10 people sick at home with Covid-19 improved on famotidine.

However, this is a small group of patient results and the results are not yet definitive.

A 2021 study concluded that the use of famotidine is not associated with a reduced risk of mortality, intubation and / or intensive care services in people hospitalized for COVID-19.

However, additional studies could help determine its effectiveness as a treatment.

Read more about famotidine here.

Plitidepsin: 

This is an antiviral drug that, according to Dr. Huerta, was linked to the treatment of covid-19 after a study published in the journal

indicated that the viral load of the coronavirus decreased.

However, it was an in vitro study, "that is, in the laboratory, in test tubes, with isolated cells," said Dr. Huerta.

This implies that "it is very initial" and "you cannot jump out of the test tube to the people, to the patient."

That is, more trials and tests still need to be done to prove its effectiveness.

What is plitidepsin?

Dr. Huerta explains 1:17

It was shown not

What we know so far about colchicine 1:48

Colchicine: 

This anti-inflammatory drug made headlines in early 2021, as the Montreal Heart Institute said in a statement that the drug could reduce complications associated with covid-19.

Colchicine has been used for quite some time to control inflammation.

And it was believed that it would be precisely because of this property that it could have a positive effect when fighting the virus, according to Dr. Huerta.

Still, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said in November 2020 about the drug that "the evidence is very low certainty, so its effects are uncertain." 

However, in late 2021 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicated that in a main trial colchicine showed no benefit in outpatients and in a recovery trial in hospitalized patients with covid- 19, colchicine did not demonstrate any benefit with respect to 28-day mortality or any secondary outcomes.

The NIH panel does not recommend the use of for the treatment of covid-19 in hospitalized and outpatients.

Read more about colchicine here

Hydroxychloroquine: 

This is perhaps the medicine that initially captured the most attention and fame as a possible way to treat the coronavirus. However, it has not been shown to work against it. The WHO notes that current data on hydroxychloroquine suggest that it does not reduce "the mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Nor does it help" people with moderate symptoms of this disease. "On the contrary, its side effects set off alarms among health authorities.

The FDA revoked the emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in June 2020. As determined by the agency, "Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are unlikely to be effective in treating COVID-19." He added: "In view of current serious cardiac adverse events and other possible serious side effects, the known and possible benefits of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine no longer outweigh the known and possible risks for authorized use." The FDA noted that a clinical study with hospitalized patients found that hydroxychloroquine "did not show a benefit in mortality or in speeding up recovery." In simpler words: Hydroxychloroquine is "unlikely" to kill or inhibit the COVID-19 virus.

We insist: no, it doesn't work.

(However, this does not affect the approved use of hydroxychloroquine for malaria or certain autoimmune diseases, conditions in which it has been proven effective.)

Study: hydroxychloroquine does not help treat covid-19 1:12

Although political leaders such as the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, and then-US President Donald Trump promoted hydroxychloroquine and even said they took it, the truth is that its effectiveness has been increasingly questioned.

The WHO also suspended tests with this drug in the Solidaridad trial, related to covid-19, in June last year.

According to the organization, the decision was due to the fact that according to data from several studies "hydroxychloroquine does not reduce mortality in patients hospitalized for covid-19."

Additionally, an analysis showed that coronavirus 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 at the Health Administration. Similarly, several studies in Brazil, France and Sweden detected side effects, among other findings, in patients: they developed heart problems.

Read more about hydroxychloroquine here.

Remdesivir: 

The name of this experimental antiviral drug became popular in the first months of the pandemic because it showed potential against covid-19. But it was just that, a potential. In November 2020, the WHO recommended that remdesivir not be used in patients who are hospitalized, "regardless of the severity of the disease." According to the organization, "there is currently no evidence that remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients." The WHO noted that, following the results of the large Solidarity Trial, the evidence indicated that the drug had no major effects on mortality, mechanical ventilation, "time to clinical improvement and other important patient outcomes."

Study: Remdesivir does not help patients with covid-19 2:08

One month before the WHO recommendation, the US FDA approved the emergency use of remdesivir, produced by Gilead Sciences. However, it is very important to note that the drug was authorized for patients 12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kilograms and requiring hospitalization for covid-19. That is, it is not available to anyone and this is relevant if the subsequent warning from the WHO is taken into account. Additionally, the FDA noted that remdesivir "should only be administered in a hospital or health care setting capable of providing intensive care comparable to inpatient hospital care." The agency also indicated that clinical trials to determine the safety and efficacy of this medicine in pediatric patients "are ongoing."

Read more about remdesivir here.

Interferon:

This drug is one of the drugs called "immunomodulators" and is used to reduce episodes of symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

According to NIH, a clinical trial conducted in August 2020 found that the normal response to type 1 interferon is suppressed after infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19.

In February 2021, the WHO concluded that "this drug had little or no effect on hospitalized patients with covid-19."

lopinavir / ritonavir:

This combination of drugs is used against HIV.

This treatment "prevents HIV from making copies of itself," says the NIH website.

It is also being studied in the treatment of some types of cancer.

Initially, the combination of lopinavir and ritonavir was suggested as an antiviral treatment against COVID-19. A study published in May 2020 found a reduction in clinical symptoms in treated animals (a ferret model), but no effect on viral load. And while several studies suggested that lopinavir-ritonavir was associated with a shorter duration of viral replication and fever, other studies reported no such effects.

However, in June 2020, UK researchers reported that this drug combination did not help hospitalized patients for COVID-19 treatment.

"There was no significant difference in the primary endpoint of 28-day mortality," the team wrote on the study website known as Recovery.

About 22% of the patients who received the two drugs died, compared with 21% of those who did not.

Like the three previous drugs, the WHO stated that lopinavir / ritonavir "had little or no effect on hospitalized COVID-19 patients, as indicated by overall mortality, onset of ventilation, and length of stay. hospitable ". For its part, the medical journal The Lancet concluded after a study that the "findings do not support the use of lopinavir-ritonavir for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19."

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The coronavirus has led us to take a series of measures to protect ourselves from contagion.

But do they really work?

Look at the gallery → 1. Disinfection mats, cover shoes, disinfect soles, disinfect car tires |

The consensus among the experts we consulted is that these measures do not work.

(Credit: CESAR MANSO / AFP via Getty Images)

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However, disinfecting shoes or leaving them at the entrance of the house can prevent dirt and contaminants from entering.

(Credit: ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP via Getty Images)

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2. Clean shopping bags |

The experts we consulted say that cleaning shopping bags does not work, but there is discussion.

(Credit: Oli Scarff / Getty Images)

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"The probability that the virus is stuck in the bag is low ... What is important is to wash your hands after picking up the bags. It is not the bags that transmit, it is the hands," explained a doctor.

Although contagion from surfaces is possible, it is very rare.

(Credit: Rob Carr / Getty Images)

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3. Take the temperature |

It does not work against covid-19.

According to one expert, "In general, the virus is not a highly fever-producing virus. (Credit: Anthony Devlin / Getty Images)

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In very few cases you are producing a fever and when you have a fever you feel unwell, it is likely that you will not go outside. "The percentage of people who transmit the virus and have a fever is very low, said another doctor. (Credit: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez / Getty Images)

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4. Do not touch elevator buttons and other surfaces in high traffic places |

The key is to wash your hands after going out, when you touch surfaces, before touching your face, eating, etc.

(Credit: ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

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The surfaces of crowded places have always been a source of infections, so that is why hand washing is essential.

(Credit: MLADEN ANTONOV / AFP via Getty Images)

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5. Sanitize money |

The bills and coins that are passed from hand to hand are vehicles of dirt and microorganisms, but perhaps disinfecting them is not such a good idea.

(Credit: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)

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In addition to the fact that disinfecting the banknotes can damage the paper, the problem is not there.

We insist: wash your hands every time you touch these types of objects.

(Credit: SAM PANTHAKY / AFP via Getty Images)

| 6. Take off your clothes when you get home and wear anti-fluid clothing | Anti-fluid clothing does help prevent the virus from sticking to fabric. Those used by doctors and health personnel should not leave the hospital. It also works for people who are in busy environments. A doctor explains that "if one comes from the street and has to change clothes, no". "But the same if the virus sticks to clothing, then nothing happens, because the clothing does not jump because it has no mobility," he adds. (Credit: ROBYN BECK / AFP via Getty Images)

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7- What DOES work?

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We have known this since the beginning of the pandemic: avoid conglomerations, privilege outdoor activities and not closed spaces, avoid meetings with many people and yes, wash your hands.

(Credit: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)

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Maintaining social distancing and wearing masks also works.

(Credit: GEOFF CADDICK / AFP via Getty Images)

No scientific basis

Carvativir: 

at the beginning of 2021, the questioned president of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro assured, without presenting evidence, that the drug carvativir "neutralizes 100% of the coronavirus." The president maintained, without showing evidence, that the compound is manufactured in the country. Also that it has been approved by the authorities for "mass production, distribution and treatment for coronavirus patients." However, several medical specialists warned that the substance "lacks scientific basis."

In the words of Dr. Huerta, carvativir "has not had the kind of studies that a medicine needs to be recommended to the public."

According to the expert, to show its efficacy and safety a drug must undergo preclinical studies in isolated cells and animals.

In addition to phase 1, phase 2 and phase 3 clinical studies, Maduro has not disclosed information on the components of the substance or the medical trials that it claims were conducted.

Neither the procedure followed by the health authorities for its approval.

Definitely not

Chlorine dioxide: 

Not only is there no scientific evidence on chlorine dioxide to treat coronavirus, it is also dangerous. Very dangerous. Since July 2020, PAHO has warned against taking products that contain chlorine dioxide, sodium chlorite, sodium hypochlorite, or derivatives. Precisely, because "the ingestion or inhalation of these products could cause serious adverse effects". In August 2020, the organization insisted on its call to avoid these products in light of the fact that products with chlorine dioxide or derivatives that falsely claimed to have curative properties for COVID-19 were promoted.

In the words of PAHO, chlorine dioxide and sodium hypochlorite "could be toxic if ingested and can cause a variety of adverse effects."

Marcos Espinal, director of the PAHO Department of Infectious Diseases, said at the time that chlorine dioxide is "very toxic" and "can cause death, can cause diarrhea, pneumonia and other series of events."

Chlorine dioxide doesn't cure anything, says Dr. Huerta 2:07

The UN explained in an article that chlorine dioxide and sodium chlorite "react rapidly in human tissues", so if ingested "they can cause irritation of the mouth, esophagus and stomach, with a severe irritative digestive picture. , with the presence of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, in addition to serious hematological, cardiovascular and kidney disorders ". We insist: it is very dangerous.

Bleach or other disinfectants -

the answer here is also a resounding no.

The WHO says it very clearly: "Bleach or other disinfectants should never be sprayed on the body or introduced into the body. These substances can be toxic if ingested, and contact with them irritates and damages the skin and eyes." .

In this sense, the organization pointed out, these substances should only be used for the disinfection of surfaces.

The same recommendation applies to those who think about drinking methanol, ethanol, or bleach, which can be extremely dangerous.

"Not only would they not destroy the viruses present in the body, but they would damage internal tissues and organs," the organization explained.