Japan has been grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, much like the rest of the world. As the virus continues to evolve, so do the treatments. One such treatment is molnupiravir. This antiviral drug has been a topic of discussion, especially when it comes to its cost-effectiveness for older adults. These are individuals aged 65 and above, who have mild to moderate COV...
Brazil's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was heavily influenced by politics. This is especially clear when looking at the use of certain drugs. Azithromycin, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, and ivermectin saw shifts in their use. These shifts happened alongside COVID-19 cases and key political events. This analysis looks at how these drugs were used over time. It a...
The buzz around ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment has been loud and clear on Twitter. A dive into 5051 tweets from January 2022 showed a split in opinions. Over half of the tweets, 53. 4%, were thumbs up for ivermectin. That's a lot of people thinking it could be a good idea. But not everyone was on board. A smaller group, 11%, were against it. They had their doubts...
Ivermectin has been a hot topic when it comes to treating COVID-19. But does it really work? A recent study looked at 19 different trials involving 1, 111 patients to find out. These trials compared Ivermectin to either a placebo or the usual standard of care. The study checked if Ivermectin helped with things like reducing deaths, speeding up recovery, or shortenin...
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a tough challenge for everyone, especially for those with weakened immune systems. These individuals often struggle to fight off infections, making them more susceptible to severe illness. One potential solution that has been explored is the use of convalescent plasma therapy. This involves taking plasma from people who have recovered f...
Paxlovid, a clever mix of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, made headlines as it became the first approved oral treatment for those with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms. This combination is designed to tackle the virus with minimal fuss. Everything works quite well using two main actors in the body: transporters CYP3A and a helper called P-gp. CYP3A, a crucial enzyme, ...
Paxlovid, a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, is designed to prevent severe COVID-19 in at-risk adults. Millions of people in the U. S. have received this treatment. Clinical trials showed it's effective. But what about real life? Some studies suggest it's helpful, but they're not recent or based on large groups. Plus, their results vary a lot. We don't know...
You've heard about using different drugs to fight COVID-19, right? Well, let's chat about a study done in Mexico City that checked out ivermectin and nitazoxanide. This study looked at both people getting treated at home and those in the hospital. Out of 228 people getting treated at home, some got ivermectin, some got nitazoxanide, and others got both. Those who got...
Imagine a hidden battle playing out in the rivers of Curitiba, Brazil. The culprits? Three drugs—azithromycin, ivermectin, and hydroxychloroquine—used widely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists dove into this issue, finding alarming levels of these medicines in both water and sediment from urban rivers. During the peak of the pandemic, these drugs were present i...
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which led to the global COVID-19 pandemic, has a high mortality rate. While there are treatments available, scientists are still looking for more antivirals that can effectively combat the virus. Enter lonafarnib, or LNF, a drug already approved by the FDA to block cellular farnesyltransferase (FTase). Researchers found that LNF can restrain SAR...