As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the world, killing thousands and bringing economies to their knees, doctors, scientists and governments are on the lookout for safe and effective treatments to help those who are sick. And yet a large issue with COVID-19 is that there is, as yet, no cure.
Though there are treatments that can alleviate the symptoms – such as difficulty in breathing – they do not address the underlying cause: the virus. The idea is that treating the symptoms will help prolong a patient’s life and buy time for their own immune systems to kick in and remove the infection.
While research into related coronaviruses over the last few decades has brought some promising looking drugs, only large clinical trials on patients with COVID-19 will be able to reveal precisely whether these interventions are safe and effective. Unfortunately, these kinds of large trials take time to carry out, but they are ongoing.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it has helped to launch four “mega trials” against COVID-19 and there are countless smaller ones coordinated in countries worldwide.
The WHO-backed trials are focusing on drugs that are thought to directly block SARS-CoV-2 – the virus strain that causes coronavirus COVID-19 – from replicating inside our lungs. But as the WHO is putting some potentially effective drugs through trials, the following are some of the drugs medical experts have discovered to be showing some potency in the fight against the deadly virus and many Nigerians are already going for these drugs and are coming back with encouraging feedback. City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL brings you some of these drugs.
REMDESIVIR
This is an intravenous antiviral drug that was developed to block infection with related coronaviruses and even Ebola, and is one of the drugs the WHO is helping to investigate.
Remdisivir has already been shown to work against SARS-CoV-2 in cells in a dish in a lab as well as in mice infected with the virus. Remdesivir specifically targets key viral proteins involved in making new copies of the virus and prevents them from working. Remdesivir has already been used in some COVID-19 patients in the US and appears safe, but large trials are needed to really know if this is the case.
LOPINAVIR/RITONAVIR
This is a drug combination used against viruses like HIV. It works in a similar way to remdesivir by blocking key viral proteins called “proteases”. Lopinavir/ritonavir has also been shown to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 in lab cells as well as in mice and is being tested alongside an antiviral drug called interferon beta. This is currently used to treat Multiple sclerosis and can enhance the natural defences of the body’s cells against COVID-19. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine Augmentin.
Both of these drugs are currently used to treat malaria and the autoimmune disease lupus. Chloroquine has been tested against lots of different infections because in the lab it can block viruses – including SARS-CoV-2 – from getting inside cells placed in a dish and so prevent infection.
Outside the lab, chloroquine has not been demonstrated to have a profound effect at preventing disease and there is limited evidence so far that it can work for COVID-19, despite receiving a lot of hype from President Donald Trump. But again, large trials are needed and the WHO is supporting these. Caution should be observed with chloroquine as it can have significant side effects in certain people and may even block the immune response – the desired result in lupus treatment.
IVERMECTIN
This is the drug everyone is currently talking about. In the United States, in Nigeria, in different parts of the world, this is the drug that’s giving everyone who hasn’t contracted the virus yet some measure of hope. This is because it has been proven to be extremely effective for the prevention and treatment of the rampaging Coronavirus. Ivermectin is a prescription drug which comes as an oral tablet, topical cream, and topical lotion. Ivermectin oral tablet is available as the brand-name drug Stromectol. It’s also available as a generic drug. Generic drugs usually cost less than the brand-name version. In some cases, they may not be available in every strength or form as the brand-name drug. This is the drug everyone is currently talking about. In the United States, in Nigeria, in different parts of the world, this is the drug that’s giving everyone who hasn’t contracted the virus yet some measure of hope. This is because it has been proven to be extremely effective for the prevention and treatment of the rampaging it’s used. Ivermectin oral tablet is used to treat infections of parasites. These include parasitic infections of your intestinal tract, skin, and eyes.
Ivermectin belongs to a class of drugs called anti-parasitic drugs. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. These drugs are often used to treat similar conditions.
Ivermectin oral tablet works by binding to parts inside the parasite. It eventually paralyzes and kills off the parasite, or it stops adult parasites from making larvae for a while. This treats your infection.
It is not a new drug. It is over 30 years old. It was initially sold for 6 dollars before the price shot up. But, why the mad rush for Ivermectin? City People asked some doctors. “It is because some observational studies show that it could be more effective in the handling of Covid-19”, explained a Lagos doctor”. Some studies show that it works for the Prevention of Covid-19. Some studies show it may work in favour of Cure. But there is no definite proof in terms of double-blind control trial.
Originally the drug was used for Worms, Scabies, Filariasis, Parasites, etc. It is also for the treatment for Onchocerciasis. It is called Ivermectin (brand name Mectizan). Unlike previous treatments, which had serious – sometimes fatal – side effects, Ivermectin is considered safe and can be used on a wide scale. It is also a very effective treatment and has single-handedly transformed the lives of millions of people suffering from Onchocerciasis since its introduction in 1987.
AUGMENTIN
Augmentin is a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of many different infections caused by bacteria such as lower respiratory tract infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bacterial sinusitis, animal/human bite wounds, and skin infections. Augmentin may be used alone or with other medications.
AZITHROMYCIN
Azithromycin also known as Zithromax, is an antibiotic. It’s widely used to treat chest infections such as pneumonia, infections of the nose and throat such as sinus infection (sinusitis), skin infections, Lyme disease, and some sexually transmitted infections. Azithromycin is used in children, often to treat ear infections or chest infections. It can also be used long term to prevent chest infections in people who keep getting them.
INTEFERON
This medication is used to treat various cancers (e.g., leukaemia, melanoma, AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma). It is also used to treat virus infections (e.g., chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, condylomata acuminata). This medication is the same as a protein that your body naturally produces (interferon). In the body, it is thought to work by affecting cell function/growth and the body’s natural defences (immune system) in many ways. Adding more interferon may help your body fight off cancer or virus infections.
TOCILIZUMAB
Tocilizumab, also known as atlizumab, is an immunosuppressive drug, mainly for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a severe form of arthritis in children. It is a humanized monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 receptor.
CONVALESCENT SERUM
Virus-neutralizing antibodies in the plasma of a patient who recovered from COVID-19 can be administered prophylactically to prevent infection in vulnerable individuals and those with known exposure to the virus (Prophylaxis). Convalescent plasma can also be administered to infected individuals to improve the clinical outcome (Treatment). CP, convalescent plasma; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
CORTICOSTEROIDS
Corticosteroids are a class of drug that lowers inflammation in the body. They also reduce immune system activity. Because corticosteroids ease swelling, itching, redness, and allergic reactions, doctors often prescribe them to help treat diseases like asthma.
