By Salim S. Abdool Karim, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D., and Nikita Devnarain, Ph.D. In practicing evidence-based medicine, physicians use the best evidence currently available on safety and efficacy in making decisions on treatment choices for their patients. During the...
Randomized Trial of Metformin, Ivermectin, and Fluvoxamine for Covid-19
By Carolyn T. Bramante, M.D., M.P.H., et al. Abstract BACKGROUND Early treatment to prevent severe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is an important component of the comprehensive response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic....
FDA allows pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid COVID treatment
By Oriana Gonzalez The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it's allowing state-authorized pharmacists to prescribe Pfizer's antiviral treatment Paxlovid. Driving the news: It's a win for pharmacies, which had been pushing for the FDA to allow...
What Is ‘Paxlovid Rebound’? CDC Warns of COVID-19 Recurrence After Antiviral Treatment
The recurring symptoms are usually milder than the initial illness—but you may still be contagious. By Julia Ries Some patients who have taken Pfizer's Paxlovid medication—an antiviral drug used to prevent severe illness from COVID-19—have experienced a recurrence in...
Rebound COVID Is Just the Start of Paxlovid’s Mysteries
There’s plenty more to learn about the lifesaving antiviral COVID treatment. By Rachel Gutman The first data on Paxlovid, out last November, hinted that the COVID antiviral would cut the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent. Pundits called the drug...
FDA rebukes Pfizer CEO’s suggestion to take more Paxlovid if COVID-19 symptoms return
By Zoey Becker The FDA rebuked Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla’s proposed solution to reports that some patients experienced a relapse of COVID-19 symptoms after treatment with the company's antiviral Paxlovid. After reports said some patients who took Paxlovid rebounded and...
NIAID Sponsored Study: Hyperimmune Intravenous Immunoglobulin & Remdesivir Fails to Beat Remdesivir as COVID-19 Treatment
Recently, an international trial site network known as the International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT) completed a global study revealing that remdesivir plus a highly concentrated solution of antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2...
TFF Pharmaceuticals Advancing Niclosamide, an Inhaled COVID-19 Treatment with Potential Activity Against Multiple Variants
TFF Pharmaceuticals announced it has completed enrollment of 40 healthy subjects in its Phase 1 clinical trial of a dry powder formulation of niclosamide, an antiviral treatment with potential to address COVID-19 and other respiratory viral diseases. TFF develops...
Paxlovid Cleared for Conditional Use in Europe
Paxlovid, the oral Pfizer treatment for COVID-19, appears headed for emergency use authorization in Europe. Conditional Marketing Authorization for Paxlovid The European Medical Agency’s (EMA) human medicines committee (CHMP) recommended Pfizer Europe MA EEIG...
Merck’s COVID-19 pill to be produced by more than two dozen drugmakers
BY MONIQUE BEALS Medicines Patent Pool, an organization supported by the U.N., announced on Thursday that over two dozen generic drug makers will soon begin producing Merck's COVID-19 pill to make the treatment more accessible in developing...
Researchers report potential broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus cocktail therapy
A research team led by Professor Hongzhe Sun, Norman & Cecilia Yip Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaboration with Dr. Shuofeng Yuan, Assistant Professor from the...
Fauci warns of ‘urgent need’ for super vaccine as other variants emerge
New variants will pose continued threat, NIAID chief warns By John Bowden, Megan Sheets Dr Anthony Fauci warned at a Senate committee hearing that the US faced an “urgent need” for a so-called super vaccine that would be more effective at preventing new variants of...
COVID-19 Omicron Variant Resistant to Monoclonal Antibodies – But Neutralized by Vaccine Booster
By INSTITUT PASTEUR The Omicron variant was detected for the first time in South Africa in November 2021 and has since spread to many countries. It is expected to become the dominant variant within a few weeks or months. Initial epidemiological studies show that the...
Colchicine Flops for In-Hospital COVID
— No reduced risk of mechanical ventilation or death by Zaina Hamza Colchicine (Colcrys) didn't benefit patients hospitalized with moderate to severe COVID-19-related pneumonia, researchers found in the COLCOVID randomized trial. Among more than 1,200 COVID-19...
Doctor Submits Fluvoxamine EUA Application to FDA
— Group of physician-scientists believes data support authorization for treating COVID-19 by Sophie Putka t took about 4 days for David Boulware, MD, MPH, to write the FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) application for fluvoxamine. Yes, a doctor wrote an EUA...