Massive WHO Study Shows Remdesivir Doesn't Lower COVID-19 Mortality
Another speedbump has emerged in the drive to produce reliable COVID-19 therapeutics as a highly anticipated WHO drug trial called Solidarity found that Gilead's COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir, had no substantial effect on a COVID-19 patient's chances of survival. It also found that three other therapeutics were similarly ineffective.
The FT called the data a "significant blow" to efforts to find a drug that could help save late-stage COVID-19 patients. What's more, none of the drugs "substantially affected mortality" or reduce the need to ventilate patients.
Other drugs examined in the trial included hydroxychloroquine, lopnavir and interferon regimes. All of them had "little effect" on hospitalized patients.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/massive-who-study-shows-remdesivir-doesnt-lower-covid-19-mortality#comment_stream
"
"On hospitalized patients"
That phrase is being used to damn a few
early onset therapies aimed toward keeping viral replication down and the patient out of the hospital. By the time a patient is hospitalized, the damage has been done,the virus has replicated to the degree that the Type 1 pneumocytes have suffered significant damage. These are the cells that cover 95% of the alveoli, and perform gas exchange with the blood, and are also the cells targeted by the SARS CoV-2 virus.
The purpose of hydroxychloroquine/Azithromycin/Zinc is for the hydroxychloroquine to act as an ionophore to admit the zinc to the Type 1 pneumocytes where the zinc interferes with viral replication, the Azithromycin adds to inhibiting the virus, reducing the cytokine reaction, and warding off opportunistic bacterial infection. At first presentation of symptoms this would stop the virus from causing damage done while replicating, leaving incomplete viral strands for the body to develop antibodies to. The patient would not degrade enough to need hosptialization.
Remdesevir, while administered in a clinical setting has a similar goal.
Later in the disease's progress, significant Type 1 pneumocytes have been damaged, and the preventative opportunities for the regimens has been lost. Locking the barn door after the horses are gone is of little effect in preventing equine escapes, so in this application, this should be no surprise, but should not affect the use of these regimens in early onset patients, where they can do some good.
