New Merck Pill Called a ‘Gamechanger’ in COVID Fight, Cuts Deaths and Hospitalizations in Half

AHA Publisher — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 07:00:37 +0000

Tara Mergener via CBN News – There’s a possible breakthrough in the fight against COVID-19. Pharmaceutical company Merck says new data on Molnupiravir shows a reduced risk of hospitalization or death by up to 50 percent in clinical trials. “You can take it home and it will significantly reduce the risk that you either ultimately are hospitalized or more importantly that you would ever face the unfortunate outcome of death,” said Rob Davis, CEO of Merck. The anti-viral treatment would be given as a series of pills within five days of testing positive for COVID. It is believed to also be effective against the Delta, Gamma and Mu variants. Through 29 days of trials, no deaths were reported in patients who received the drug compared to 8 deaths in patients who got the placebo. Merck will ask the FDA for emergency use authorization. The news comes amid vaccine mandate showdowns happening across the country, including staff in New York City schools. On Friday, California even announced it will mandate vaccines from all schoolkids once the FDA approves them. “I will continue to advocate against these mandates, but obviously I’m going to need to figure out how I’m going to pay my bills and support my son,” said New York teacher Stephanie Edmonds. Late Thursday, a Federal Appeals Court blocked the firing of New York health care workers who are claiming a religious exemption, pending the outcome of a court hearing next month. In Colorado, some healthcare facilities are bracing for staffing shortages with many employees there also refusing the shot. “We’ve had a lot of pushback from staff, there are certainly a lot of folks that just absolutely do not want it,” said Leeah Key of Eastern Colorado Services. Meanwhile, the numbers show hospital admissions for COVID are down by 27,000 in recent weeks. And health officials say the overall COVID infection rate is significantly down for the first time in three months. Still, the Biden administration was doubling down on its vaccine message Friday. “COVID vaccinations are safe, effective, convenient, free. They protect you, your loved ones, your community,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the COVID response team. To read the original article click here.

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NIH Researchers Identify Potential New Antiviral Drug for COVID-19

AHA Publisher — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 07:00:34 +0000

NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development via EurekAlert – The experimental drug TEMPOL may be a promising oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, suggests a study of cell cultures by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. TEMPOL can limit SARS-CoV-2 infection by impairing the activity of a viral enzyme called RNA replicase. The work was led by researchers at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The study appears in Science. “We urgently need additional effective, accessible treatments for COVID-19,” said Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., NICHD Director. “An oral drug that prevents SARS-CoV-2 from replicating would be an important tool for reducing the severity of the disease.” The study team was led by Tracey A. Rouault, M.D., head of the NICHD Section on Human Iron Metabolism. It discovered TEMPOL’s effectiveness by evaluating a more basic question on how the virus uses its RNA replicase, an enzyme that allows SARS-CoV-2 to replicate its genome and make copies of itself once inside a cell. Researchers tested whether the RNA replicase (specifically the enzyme’s nsp12 subunit) requires iron-sulfur clusters for structural support. Their findings indicate that the SARS-CoV-2 RNA replicase requires two iron-sulfur clusters to function optimally. Earlier studies had mistakenly identified these iron-sulfur cluster binding sites for zinc-binding sites, likely because iron-sulfur clusters degrade easily under standard experimental conditions. Identifying this characteristic of the RNA replicase also enables researchers to exploit a weakness in the virus. TEMPOL can degrade iron-sulfur clusters, and previous research from the Rouault Lab has shown the drug may be effective in other diseases that involve iron-sulfur clusters. In cell culture experiments with live SARS-CoV-2 virus, the study team found that the drug can inhibit viral replication. Based on previous animal studies of TEMPOL in other diseases, the study authors noted that the TEMPOL doses used in their antiviral experiments could likely be achieved in tissues that are primary targets for the virus, such as the salivary glands and the lungs. “Given TEMPOL’s safety profile and the dosage considered therapeutic in our study, we are hopeful,” said Dr. Rouault. “However, clinical studies are needed to determine if the drug is effective in patients, particularly early in the disease course when the virus begins to replicate.” The study team plans on conducting additional animal studies and will seek opportunities to evaluate TEMPOL in a clinical study of COVID-19. To read the original article click here.

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New Merck Pill Called a ‘Gamechanger’ in COVID Fight, Cuts Deaths and Hospitalizations in Half

NIH Researchers Identify Potential New Antiviral Drug for COVID-19