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The global coronavirus pandemic continues to spread all across the world, but it looks like there may be some good news on the way thanks to an experimental HIV drug.
According to the New York Post, the biotech company CytoDyn’s drug, Leronlimab, has successfully improved the condition of two coronavirus patients, with both of them becoming well enough to be removed from ventilators. The drug is also being used to treat a handful of coronavirus patients in critical condition.
Because of Leronlimab’s success, the Food and Drug Administration has proceeded with the second phase of testing. If everything goes well, CytoDyn says Leronlimab could be approved as a coronavirus treatment as quickly as four weeks.
Talking to the New York Post, CytoDyn CEO Nader Pourhassan says he sees no reason for the Food and Drug Administration to disapprove of the drug. Pourhassan says the world is in need of a drug that would help take coronavirus sufferers off of ventilators.
According to the initial studies made on Leronlimab, it appears it can calm down the overactive immune response triggered by COVID-19. These immune responses, known as cytokine storms, can lead to pneumonia. In the worst cases, it can result in death.
The discovery of a treatment would be a huge improvement in the fight against COVID-19, as it does not look like it will slow down anytime soon. According to the World Health Organization situation report, there are now 1,210,956 people all over the world who have tested positive for COVID-19. There are now 67,594 people who have died from the disease, with new deaths numbering at 4,810.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s April 7 update puts the number of confirmed cases at 374,329. The number of dead is at 12,064.
My only concern is>>>
has the drug been tested often enough to justify such a rapid accessibility without the usual side-effects? Their is validity as to why The FDA sometimes drags its feet and it is, always, money.
Maybe I’m reading this incorrectly, but I don’t think that 85% of covid-19 cases are going to need a ventilator. I think that the mortality rate of those on a ventilator might be at 85%. Either way, any drug that can help prevent someone afflicted with covid-19 from getting on a ventilator is a good thing. I hope the proper clinical studies are expediated. If this drug works, maybe it will be another arsenal to combat this awful virus.
No, you’re not reading it wrong. There are some inaccuracies in the article and the 85% thing is just one of them. There’s lots of misinformation out there but I guess that’s to be expected with a relatively new disease.