A pill against covid-19 that reduces the risk of hospitalization and death by about 50% in patients with mild or moderate form. This is the data announced by the companies Msd and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics on what could be the first antiviral drug for the treatment of coronavirus. But what do the experts think?
GIANNI REZZA
“The results from what is reported seem promising, but now we need to see the data to evaluate them carefully. We also need antiviral drugs. We have vaccines that prevent infection and severe forms of disease, we have monoclonals. that can be used in treatment, antivirals are lacking. Having a portfolio of tools that allow us to fight the disease is desirable. ” Thus the general director of Prevention of the Ministry of Health, Gianni Rezza, responding to journalists during the press conference on the analysis of the data of the regional monitoring of the control room on the progress of Covid-19.
MATTEO BASSETTI
“It is the first time that a drug given orally works in anti-Covid therapy and this is an extraordinary fact. I am very proud, because in our center in Genoa the only Italian patient was enrolled in the molnupiravir study. several competing centers and we were the first to find him, and thanks also to the patient “. Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa, says this to time.news Salute. “The company has decided to interrupt the study for manifest superiority. This antiviral – continues Bassetti – can really become the home treatment in the early stages of Covid, and when it is approved we will have a series of extraordinary treatments for Covid and only 18 months. from the first case of coronavirus. This means that, from the point of view of research, we have made an extraordinary effort and Italy is first in the EU and fourth in the world for scientific contributions on Covid “. “Antiviral is a synthetic nucleoside derivative that has the ability to inhibit replication by copying wrong viruses – explains Bassetti – In this way it gives wrong information to the virus that it can no longer be dangerous”.
ROBERTO BURIONI
If Merck’s ‘anti-covid pill’ is approved, “we will finally have home care.” Professor Roberto Burioni comments on Twitter the news regarding the antiviral drug molnupiravir shows to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by about 50%. “If molnupiravir (Merck’s anti-covid drug) is approved we will finally have home care. Which came – coincidentally – from serious researchers and not from the nourished and vociferous troops of scoundrels who self-certify misunderstood genes”, writes the virologist. on the “fantastic news”. “Merck has just announced that its new drug, given early to patients at risk with covid-19, halves the risk of hospitalization and death. To be precise, none of the patients who took the (oral) drug died.” summarizes the virologist, highlighting that “this drug could also be active against future coronaviruses that have the bad idea of trying to jump again from animals to humans. We cross our fingers and await the scientific work for a final judgment. I add that the treatment with this the drug costs 700 dollars, while the vaccination costs a few tens of dollars. So please don’t act in the interests of big pharma and get vaccinated “. So, the dig at no vax: “If they approve M”, writes Burioni identifying the drug with the initial, “one of the advantages will be that novax will not be able to become nomolnupiravir because it is too difficult a word for them to write and pronounce. “.