Friday, 31 July 2020

Important Updates of COVID19 Treatment - MUST READ

From Feb 2020 to June 2020

By Dr. Yu Kang, Neighbor

Jun 29, 2020 12:36 pm ET

COVID 19

As time passes in a pandemic there's a greater chance of survival for those gettingi nfected 3 months later like June 2020 than those who got infected 3 months earlier say February 2020. The reason for this is that Doctors and scientists know more about Covid-19 now than 3 months ago and hence are able to treat patients better. I will list *5 important things* that we know now that we didn't know in February 2020 for your understanding.

1. COVID-19 was initially thought to cause deaths due to *pneumonia- a lung infection*- and so Ventilators were thought to be the best way to treat sick patients who couldn't breathe. *Now we are realising that the virus causes blood clots in the blood vessels of the lungs* and other parts of the body and this causes the reduced oxygenation . Now we know that just providing oxygen by ventilators will not help but we have to prevent and dissolve the micro clots in the lungs. This is why we are using drugs like *Asprin and Heparin ( blood thinners that prevents clotting) as protocol in treatment regimens in June 2020. *

2. Previously patients used to drop dead on the road or even before reaching a hospital due to reduced oxygen in their blood- OXYGEN SATURATION. This was because of *HAPPY HYPOXIA*- where even though the oxygen saturation was gradually reducing the COVID-19 patients did not have symptoms until it became critically less, like sometimes even 70%.
**Normally we become breathless if oxygen saturation reduces below 90%.
**This breathlessness is not triggered in Covid patients and so we we're
getting the sick patients very late to the hospitals in February 2020.
Now since knowing about happy hypoxia we are monitoring oxygen
saturation of all covid patients *with a simple home use pulse oxymeter
and getting them to hospital if their oxygen saturation drops to 93% orless*. This gives more time for doctors to correct the oxygen deficiency
in the blood and a better survival chance in June 2020.

3. We did not have drugs to fight the corona virus in February 2020. We were only treating the complications caused by it... hypoxia. Hence most patients became severely infected.

```**Now we have 2 important medicines
FAVIPIRAVIR & REMDESIVIR**```

Which are ANTIVIRALS that can kill the corona virus . By using these two medicines we can prevent patients from becoming severely infected and therefore cure them BEFORE THEY GO TO HYPOXIA. This knowledge we have in JUNE 2020... not in February 2020.

4. Many Covid-19 patients die not just because of the virus but also due the patients own immune system responding In an exaggerated manner called *CYTOKINE STROM*. This stormy strong immune response not only kills the virus but also kills the patients. In February 2020 we didn't know how to
prevent it from happening. Now in June 2020, we know that *easily
available medicines called Steroids,* that doctors around the world have
been using for almost 80 years (Dexamethasone)

*can be used to prevent the cytokine storm in some patients*.

5. Now we also know that people with hypoxia became better just by making them lie down on their belly- known as prone position. Apart from this a few days ago Israeli scientists have discovered that a chemical known as Alpha Defensin produced by the patients White blood cells can cause the micro clots in blood vessels of the lungs and this could possibly be prevented by a drug called Cholcicine used over many decades in the treatment of Gout. So now we know for sure that patients have a better chance at surviving the COVID-19 infection now in June 2020 than in February 2020 for sure.

Going forward there's nothing to panic about Covid-19 if we remember
that a person who gets infected later has a better chance at survival
than one who got infected early.

Let's all follow simple precautions like
-6 feet distancing from others
-Wear proper masks
-Work from home whenever possible
-Order delivery and take away of food groceries and vegetables
- Stay at home during lockdown
- Hand wash & hygiene

With this we can beat the virus .
If someone tells you every one is going to get infected, tell them that you are willing to n can afford to wait a bit longer.... as each day passes we understand more about COVID infection.

https://patch.com/georgia/decatur/important-updates-covid19-treatment

Treatment drugs recommended so far:

Can Ivermectin Help Prevent COVID-19 Deaths? - MUST READ

Covid: Remdesivir 'has little or no effect' on survival, says WHO (16 Oct 2020)

Coronavirus cure: What progress are we making on treatments?

Important Updates of COVID19 Treatment - MUST READ (this article)

Coronavirus: what-drug-treatment-works

Dexamethasone proves first life-saving drug - Coronavirus
Ibuprofen tested as a treatment - Coronavirus
Coronavirus: Protein treatment trial 'a breakthrough'
Convalescent plasma therapy for severe SARS-CoV-2 - Graphic News

See also updates to this article:

FDA approves remdesivir despite doubts about effectiveness (23 Oct 2020)
Covid: Remdesivir 'has little or no effect' on survival, says WHO (16 Oct 2020)

Thursday, 30 July 2020

AstraZeneca - exempt from coronavirus vaccine liability claims ...

AstraZeneca to be exempt from coronavirus vaccine liability claims in most countries

Ludwig Burger and Pushkala Aripaka

Reuters30 July 2020

AstraZeneca to be exempt from coronavirus vaccine liability claims in most countries — FILE PHOTO: The company logo for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is displayed on a screen on the floor at the NYSE in New York

By Ludwig Burger and Pushkala Aripaka

(Reuters) - AstraZeneca <AZN.L> has been granted protection from future product liability claims related to its COVID-19 vaccine hopeful by most of the countries with which it has struck supply agreements, a senior executive told Reuters.

With 25 companies testing their vaccine candidates on humans and getting ready to immunise hundred millions of people once the products are shown to work, the question of who pays for any claims for damages in case of side effects has been a tricky point in supply negotiations.

"This is a unique situation where we as a company simply cannot take the risk if in ... four years the vaccine is showing side effects," Ruud Dobber, a member of Astra's senior executive team, told Reuters.

"In the contracts we have in place, we are asking for indemnification. For most countries it is acceptable to take that risk on their shoulders because it is in their national interest," he said, adding that Astra and regulators were making safety and tolerability a top priority.

Dobber would not name the countries.

EU officials told Reuters this week product liability was among contentious points in European efforts to secure supply deals for potential COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer <PFE.N>, Sanofi <SASY.PA> and Johnson & Johnson <JNJ.N>.

The United States, however, already has a law to exclude tort claims from products that help control a public-health crises in the form of the 2005 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness, or PREP Act.

AstraZeneca, Britain's second-largest drugmaker, has pledged to supply a total of more than 2 billion doses at no profit in agreements with the United States, Britain and European countries, among other nations and organisations.

Astra's deals differ from most rivals because it has secured government backing for production and development efforts, while competitors such as GlaxoSmithKline <GSK.L> are looking to negotiate a price for a finished product, contingent on approval.

To back its claim to forgo profits from the $1.2 billion collaboration in the United States, Astra has even granted the government access to financial accounts related to the venture, according to Dobber.

"There are very clear milestones before they are going to pay. Because we made the promise to manufacture the vaccine at no profit, auditors of the U.S. administration will get free access to our accounting books," he said.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/astrazeneca-exempt-coronavirus-vaccine-liability-113410819.html

Tuesday, 28 July 2020

Chinese authorities 'covered up' coronavirus cases in Wuhan and ...

Chinese authorities 'covered up' coronavirus cases in Wuhan and did not warn public of risk for a week, claims scientist

Nicola Smith

The Telegraph28 July 2020

View photos

President Xi - Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP

Chinese authorities were warned that coronavirus could spread between humans in early January, but did not tell the public for a week, a leading microbiologist has claimed, saying that there has been a “cover up”.

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung says he alerted health officials on January 12 to suspected human to human transmission of Covid-19, but his warnings were not made public until January 19, according to a new BBC Panorama documentary about China’s sluggish early response to the pandemic.

The professor, who helped to identify an outbreak of Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, diagnosed a family of seven with the novel coronavirus in Shenzhen, 700 miles from Wuhan, the global pandemic’s original epicentre.

Only some members of the family had been to Wuhan, which set alarm bells ringing about the infectious nature of the virus. Prof Yuen said he immediately informed Beijing.

The revelation contradicts China’s official version of events, where Beijing claims it made a public announcement about the human transmission as soon as it had clear evidence.

Public confirmation of human to human transmission of a mysterious SARS-like virus did not emerge from the Chinese health ministry until January 19, just as the country was entering its busiest annual travel period of the year, when millions board trains and planes for the Lunar New Year holidays.

View photos

People leaving Wuhan - Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

Prof Yuen told Panorama: “The local officials who were supposed to be immediately relaying the information had not allowed this to be done as rapidly as it should.

“I do suspect that they have been doing some cover-up locally at Wuhan,” he said.

“When we went to the Huanan Seafood Market, of course there is nothing to see because the market was clean already. So, you may say that the crime scene is already disturbed."

The World Health Organisation, which sent a delegation to Wuhan on January 20-21, issued a statement on January 22 saying "human to human transmission is taking place in Wuhan” and the authorities enforced a draconian lockdown of the entire city. However, 5 million residents had already left.

As soon as he suspected the virus could be transmitted between humans, Prof Yuen also urged the Hong Kong government to take public health precautions.

His claims were backed earlier this year by experts in nearby Taiwan, who also took strict virus prevention measures weeks before the Chinese lockdown after spotting social media posts from the medical community in Wuhan on December 31 about suspicious cases of atypical pneumonia.

Chuang Yin-ching, a senior official working for Taiwan’s Centres for Disease Control, one of a handful of infectious disease experts briefed in Wuhan from January 13-15, told the Telegraph that a Beijing official admitted then that “limited human to human transmission cannot be excluded.”

Both testimonies dovetail with an Associated Press story in April, based on internal documents, that top Chinese officials had determined they were facing a pandemic from a new coronavirus six days before warning the public. Some 3,000 people are believed to have been infected during the week of silence.

Some experts believe global chaos could have been averted if action had been taken sooner.

Prof Yuen said: “I know how efficient the virus was spreading and I know that it is acquired in hospital and I know that it can go with people by flights from one city, thousands of miles away. There is one thing that I learned. If you don’t make use of every hour, you are in big, big trouble.”

Lord Patten, former Governor of Hong Kong told Panorama: "Frankly thousands of people will have lost their lives and livelihoods because China did not behave as it promised it would behave according to the international health regulations."

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/chinese-authorities-covered-coronavirus-cases-180642220.html

Monday, 27 July 2020

Coronavirus shots rev up for NIH tests beginning in July: WSJ

Moderna, AstraZeneca and J&J coronavirus shots rev up for NIH tests beginning in July: WSJ

Eric Sagonowsky |

Jun 10, 2020 11:05am

FiercePharma | 06-10

Moderna, AstraZeneca and J&J coronavirus shots rev up for NIH tests beginning in July: WSJ

The NIH is planning late-stage studies for multiple COVID-19 vaccines, the Wall Street Journal reports. (NIH)

As leading coronavirus vaccines make their way through early stages of human testing, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is plotting much larger efficacy studies this summer. U.S. researchers plan to run phase 3 trials of vaccines from Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson in the coming months, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The NIH intends to start a phase 3 trial of Moderna’s vaccine in July, followed by an August trial of AstraZeneca’s vaccine and a September study of Johnson & Johnson’s shot, a U.S. government researcher told the newspaper.

All three of the shots are based on brand-new technologies, and they're all reportedly among finalists in the Operation Warp Speed program. Former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb has publicly questioned the picks, pointing out the team's reliance on new technologies.

Johnson & Johnson has not previously disclosed any human testing for its vaccine and the company has previously said it’s aiming to enter human studies in September. But on Wednesday, the company said it's accelerating its timeline, with plans to start a phase 1/2a study in July.

AstraZeneca and Moderna, meanwhile, are already in phase 2 testing. A Moderna representative confirmed the phase 3 plan to the Journal, and an AstraZeneca spokesperson said the company’s recent contract with the U.S. government includes a late-stage test, but the company didn’t confirm timing. AstraZeneca scored a whopping $1.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine contract from the U.S. last month.

RELATED: AstraZeneca scores $1.2B from U.S., signs up to deliver hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccines

Aside from the NIH plans, Pfizer could start a phase 3 trial as early as next month, a source told the WSJ. Down the road, the NIH could launch studies of other vaccines, John Mascola, the head of NIAID's vaccine research center, told the publication. Anthony Fauci, head of the NIAID, said at BIO's digital conference Tuesday he expects "more than one" vaccine to succeed.

The government-funded phase 3 studies will enroll about 30,000 people each, testing the vaccines against placebo in places where the virus is circulating, WSJ reports. The aim is to see whether the candidates can protect vaccinated individuals against infection.

Researchers wouldn't start the studies until earlier research confirms the candidates are safe and trigger an immune response.

RELATED: What's it like to work on J&J's coronavirus vaccine? For one scientist, it's social distancing in the lab, late nights at home

About 6 months into the pandemic, 10 vaccines are in human testing and another 126 are in preclinical research, according to the World Health Organization. Vaccines are an essential part of restarting economies, so companies aren’t waiting to see data to scale up their manufacturing processes. Many pharma giants and smaller companies have already inked partnerships to help them mass produces vaccines ahead of seeing data.