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What seems more likely, and what could be more beneficial for Covid 19- A treatment or Vaccine?
According to WHO data, as on 29 May 2020 (at 7:02 PM CEST), there were more than 5.7 million confirmed cases, and over 357k deaths recorded worldwide.?COVID-19?has taken lives, shut down economies, and has made people cocooned to their respective homes. However, for the?healthcare sector, COVID-19 has presented one of the most significant financial?opportunities.
What the world currently needs is a potent medicine for treating the virus or an effective vaccine to prevent COVID-19 from affecting people. The struggle lies whether to create a treatment or develop a vaccine. Let’s dig dipper on this situation.
Lets have a look at the current treatments for COVID-19
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 acts as a “pneumonia-like” illness as it creates shortness of breath affecting lungs. However, over time, it has been found that the virus affects the other organs as well, such as kidneys, liver, skin, and brain. At present, the treatments primarily consist of existing antivirals or drugs approved for other indications.
Doctors are also using EUA drugs to treat people suffering from SARS-CoV-2 induced disease. A EUA or emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows doctors to use the drug for medication without following proper FDA approval process.
Currently, the?FDA has assigned emergency use authorization (EUA)?to three drugs – Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine indicated for Malaria, remdesivir indicated for Viral and a sedation drug to be used with FDA.
According to research done by the University of Alberta, Canada with Gilead Sciences, remdesivir prevents the virus from replicating. Clinical trials from Gilead Sciences showed mixed results with one trial getting terminated while the other meeting its endpoint.
Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine received a EUA from the FDA. However, clinical trials have shown mixed results prompting WHO to stop the clinical trials on account of the safety of people. FDA also issued a warning against the usage of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as they cause heart-rhythm problems. FDA has disallowed use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine outside of medical facilities.
#covid19 #coronavirusupdate #kalkine
