Interesting new news article. Leronlimab is gettin
Post# of 148155
https://rusrek.com/news/zdorove/novosti-medic...9-7599003/
Many people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection continue to have health problems. Among them there are many who were not brought to a hospital bed by the disease.
Patrick Wärnes, a 41-year-old CFO from Atlanta, described by my colleague Sumati Reddy from The Wall Street Journal, has been suffering for more than six months from the consequences of a mild illness: breathing problems, headaches, constant fatigue. He confessed to the journalist that he had taken almost 30 different means and food additives, steroids, had turned to specialists in the field of acupuncture - all in vain. As a member of one of the online communities of people suffering from the effects of coronavirus infection, Patrick learned that a number of medical companies are currently working on the creation of drugs for people like him - people suffering from health problems caused by COVID. 19.
“After six months of living, figuratively speaking, in an inner prison, I would like to try a new medicine on myself.
I really hope it helps me, ”Patrick says in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
There are tens of thousands of people like Mr. Wernes, the newspaper writes, today, all of these people dream of the appearance on the market of drugs that can end their suffering from the debilitating consequences of coronavirus infection. A ray of hope is new drugs that are being tested by a number of pharmaceutical companies. While experimental, these medical developments cannot yet receive approval from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). Not in the case of COVID-19, nor for the treatment of other diseases for which they were specifically created. Meanwhile, hundreds and thousands of people are willing to take the risk and take part in the tests in order to see the light at the end of the tunnel, in which they found themselves from the plague of the 21st century.
Let us note, following the Wall Street Journal, that many of these patients are not elderly people, but young people who did not have serious health problems before the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to doctors, in some of these patients, the consequences of the transferred coronavirus infection can disappear relatively quickly, but in 10-20% of the problems become protracted. A study by the British organization Office for National Statistics, conducted last December, confirmed that at least 10% of patients infected with coronavirus have symptoms for three months or longer.
Prior to COVID-19, Patrick was a fitness fanatic, visiting the gym five times a week. Now the maximum that he can afford is a walk in the fresh air. “Every day I have trouble breathing,” he laments.
Through social media, the young man learned about a drug called Leronlimab and was able to contact a doctor conducting clinical research for the biotech company CytoDyn, based in Vancouver, Washington. Last December, CytoDyn approached the FDA for permission to test Ronlimab on 102 patients suffering from the effects of coronavirus infection.
Leronlimab is based on monoclonal antibodies, just like the proven medicines Regeneron and Eli Lilly. The initial prescription for Leronlimab is to treat patients with HIV (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Currently, the drug has not received approval for use in the treatment of HIV and COVID-19. The company has already carried out the first stages of testing this drug both on patients with serious consequences of infection with coronavirus infection, and people with moderate severity and mild symptoms. The latter group included patients with long-term consequences of infection. The tests were preliminary and the results were not published. The new test, which will involve 102 people, will focus entirely on the effects of Ronlimab on patients like Patrick Wärnes.
Another new drug, Zofin, was created by the Miami-based biotech company Organicell. It is intended for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with COVID-19.
The drug uses nanoparticles to reduce inflammation and micro-RNAs that act against different genes (RNA is usually a single-strand molecule that copies, transcribes, and transfers parts of the genetic code to proteins so that they can synthesize and perform functions that support the life and development of organisms.Some viruses, such as the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), contain only RNA, which means they rely on penetrating healthy cells to reproduce and survive. Once inside the cell, the virus uses its own genetic code "RNA in the case of coronavirus" to take control and "reprogram" cells to become virus-making factories. Https://www.iaea.org/ .
As noted by Mary Mitrany, head of research at Organicell, her company decided to use Zofin as a treatment for patients suffering from the consequences of coronavirus infection, because its original purpose is to regenerate the lungs. The lung problem is known to be the weak point of COVID-19 patients.
A limited trial of the drug (18 people took part in it, including patients with long-term symptoms of coronavirus) received FDA approval. The next step is to conduct tests only among patients with lingering consequences of COVID-19. The first trials showed no serious side effects after taking Zofin, Mitrani said.
Another new drug designed to treat lungs in patients with COVID-19, LYT-100 is to undergo clinical trials by Boston biotech company PureTech. Testing will be led by Toby Mar, professor of medicine at the University of Southern California. The experiment will involve people who have undergone inpatient treatment for coronavirus, and who, after discharge, for a month or more, have health problems.
LYT-100 is a pill, taken twice a day. Possible side effects: bloating and nausea. But most patients will not experience these symptoms.
“There are quite a few COVID-19 patients with lung problems and our drug should help them,” says Mar.
One of the common consequences of coronavirus infection is chronic fatigue syndrome. Florida-based AIM ImmunoTech has received approval from the FDA to test its drug Ampligan, which is administered intravenously to patients. The drug, says company manager Tom Ecuels, is well tolerated by patients.
A possible side effect is mild flu symptoms. The medicine activates and strengthens human immunity.
* * *
As for the drugs based on monoclonal antibodies, Regeneron and Eli Lilly, which are already used in medical institutions, they demonstrate their new qualities: they not only eliminate the symptoms of coronavirus infection, preventing the disease from developing, but also act as a temporary vaccine.
The Regeneron company conducted a study in which 2 thousand people took part. In a January report, the firm published data on 400 people who lived in families with COVID-19 infected households.
The subjects were divided into two groups: the first received an injection of Regen-Cov, the second received a placebo pacifier. It turned out that in the first group, who received monoclonal antibodies, 5.4% were infected with coronavirus, in the second - 10.3%. At the same time, none of the first group, even those infected, developed symptoms of COVID-19, in the second group there were 3.6% of them. The median age of the patients was 43 years, half of the test participants were Hispanic, 13% African American.
Eli Lilly also conducted its own research. Intravenous administration of a combination of two antibodies was performed in patients with early symptoms of coronavirus. In the third phase of testing, Eli Lilly's bamlanivimab reduced the likelihood of hospitalization or death by 70%.
Regeneron officials said they would petition the FDA to consider their drug not only as a medicine, but also as a temporary vaccine, based on the test results. The managers of the company are ready to submit a full report on the tests carried out in the second quarter of this year. Already available evidence suggests that the Regeneron vaccine may provide temporary protection against infection in the United States and elsewhere, until manufacturers fill the market with sufficient vaccines. The protective properties of Regeneron can be maintained for a month.
Currently, writes The Wall Street Journal, several biotech companies and groups of scientists are working to develop promising drugs that could effectively fight new varieties of coronavirus such as British and South African mutations.
Author: Mikhail Trypolsky