After hygiene, tests and the vaccine, a new tool can counteract covid-19: drugs that are explicitly designed against the coronavirus. It is essential that they come in pill format. Thanks to this, the black figures of the pandemic can be cut if its worldwide use is guaranteed.
The first defense against covid-19 was childbirth, hygiene and tests. Then vaccines began to ease the grip of the pandemic. now comes one new tool, which aims at healing rather than prevention.
Go over drugs explicitly designed against the coronavirus, which drug agencies have approved in recent weeks. Until now, therapies developed against other diseases have been used, which, however, have shown some efficacy against covid-19.
“If we had these drugs at the beginning of this pandemic, it might not have been a pandemic.”
Nuria Izquierdo-Useros, IrsiCaixa Researcher
New drugs come in tablets, which opens the door to widespread use at the earliest signs of illness, without the hassle of giving an injection. It has the potential to reduce the worst effects of the disease and even change the course of the pandemic – as long as its spread is worldwide and the injustice of vaccines is not repeated.
Why did the vaccines arrive earlier?
In this way he appreciated the arrival of the pills against covid Nuria Izquierdo-Useros, a researcher at the AIDS Research Institute (IrsiCaixa), in a live chat with readers through the social networks of El Periódico, on January 20th. His intervention is the fourth in a series of Health Conversations, promoted by EL PERIÓDICO and supported by the Doctor Antoni Esteve Foundation, within the framework of the Network of Communicating Scientists, an initiative that seeks to strengthen the public voice of female researchers.
“If we had these drugs at the beginning of this pandemic, it might not be a pandemic & rdquor;” confirms Izquierdo, who tested with tens of molecules to investigate its potential against the coronavirus.
“With antiviral drugs, we had a golden opportunity at the beginning of 2000, but the research stopped because of a lack of funds.”
Nuria Izquierdo-Useros, IrsiCaixa Researcher
Vaccines came long before treatments because they were based on decades of research, mainly focused on HIV. Unlike this virus, which is constantly changing, SARS-Cov2 is “slow”, Left explained. Although variants occur, they are not modified as much and the first vaccines are still effective.
“In the case of antiviral drugs, we had a golden opportunity at the beginning of 2000, with SARS and MERS. Research has been done, but those studies stopped due to lack of funds and interest seeing that these diseases would not affect many people & rdquor ;, laments the scientist.
Existing drugs
For this reason, it was necessary to use treatments against other viruses. Like the remdesivir, a substance that has been tested against Ebola. “Without these experiences in patient management, the use of this antiviral drug would have been more complex during this pandemic,” says Izquierdo.
Remdesivir prevents the virus from replicating its genetic material within the infected cell. Other treatments are monoclonal antibodies, which attacks the virus peak, “the key it uses to open the door of the cell & rdquor; and the immunomodulators, which stops the overreaction of the immune system, which destroys some covid-19 patients. Anticancer is also being tested plitidepsien – “Perhaps the most powerful antiviral drug out there” – which acts on a human protein needed to multiply the virus.
The new drugs
“The giant step of the new drugs, however, is that they are specifically against the coronavirus and that it can be given in pills. It makes it easier early spread, without the necessary infrastructure to receive injections & rdquor ;, says Izquierdo.
For the unvaccinated half of the world, “an oral treatment is going to be critical to saving many lives,” he explains. Of course, these drugs must be able to manufactured as generic drugs in developing countries, according to Links. In other words, outside the monopoly of a few producers protected by a patent. This strategy, applied to HIV drugs, was hugely successful against AIDS.
“Some prophylactic pills, to take before infection, would be great in a wave like the current one”
Nuria Izquierdo-Useros, IrsiCaixa Researchers
Even in countries with a high vaccination coverage, pills can ensure a smooth course of the disease, especially in susceptible people They have been in social isolation for two years. “The ideal would be to have prophylactic pills, take before infection to avoid it. It would be great to counter a wave like the current one. But we are still far & rdquor ;, says Izquierdo.
The new drugs are aimed at certain specific targets of the virus. “We need more research to block the virus in various parts of the replication cycle,” Izquierdo explains. there is a possibility that the virus escapes from the drug, as in the case of vaccines.
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“In the long run, we will need more than one drug. And a battery tool for next pandemic. Because this is not the first and will not be the last coronavirus to enter our lives & rdquor;, concludes Izquierdo.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com