The uncertainties surrounding the halt of global activities over the coronavirus pandemic, is likely to come to an end sooner than later, as many scientists and researchers have been on the hunt for a medication and vaccine if necessary to help in stemming the tide of the novel virus.
Earlier in the year, President Donald Trump of the United States of America repeatedly endorsed Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine at his press briefings as an experimental drug to fight Covid-19 the disease caused by coronavirus, this elicited mixed reaction from the public some for and others against his stance that he is liable to misinforming the public and causing a wave of self medication on the malaise.
Cases of death triggered by unauthorized use of hydroxychloroquine was subsequently reported in USA, Nigeria ,a few other nations and that actually subdued the public interest but everyone world over has been expectant of an approved medication or drug for the cure of the Covid-19.
Few days ago the world was hit with a report of a major medical breakthrough, which has been widely reported in national media and reputable medical journals world over of an anti-parasitic drug that is available around the world which stops SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from replicating in cells within a couple of days.
According to findings from in vitro studies by Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI), working with the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, which revealed ivermectin a drug already approved by FDA becomes effective against SARS-CoV-2 in lab-grown cells within just a day. “We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it,” Kylie Wagstaff PhD who lead the study commented.
The researchers’ report is available as a pre-proof paper in Antiviral Research, titled, “The FDA-approved drug ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.”
Ivermectin is a drug already approved by the FDA and widely available for treating a number of parasitic infections, and the drug has an established safety profile. Studies have suggested that ivermectin may also be effective in vitro against a broad range of viruses, including HIV, Dengue, influenza, and Zika virus.
ivermectin tablets
Wagstaff made a previous breakthrough finding on ivermectin in 2012, when, in collaboration with BDI co-author David Jans, PhD, she identified antiviral activity of ivermectin. Jans and his team have been researching the antiviral effects of ivermectin for more than 10 years.
The scientists suggested that ivermectin is an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2, if given to patients during early infection, could help to limit viral load, prevent progression to severe disease, and limit transmission between people. “Benchmarking testing of ivermectin against other potential antivirals for SARS-Cov-2 with alternative mechanisms of action would thus be important as soon as practicable,” they stated.
“As the virologist who was part of the team who were first to isolate and share SARS-CoV-2 outside of China in January 2020, I am excited about the prospect of ivermectin being used as a potential drug against COVID-19,” commented lead author Leon Caly, PhD, who is Australia’s Royal Melbourne Hospital’s senior medical scientist at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) at the Doherty Institute, where experiments with SARS-CoV-2 were conducted.
Dr Wagstaff said: “In times when we’re having a global pandemic and there isn’t an approved treatment, if we had a compound that was already available around the world then that might help people sooner.
“Realistically it’s going to be a while before a vaccine is broadly available.”
It could be at least month before human trials would begin and funding would be needed to be able to go forward with the pre-clinical and clinical trials.
This is good news as the people of the world especially those that has been in lockdown situations for months and weeks can’t wait to return to the lives and businesses that they were forced to leave behind.
The world is already in a race against time as the effects of lockdown in most nations is expected to have huge impact in the global economy that will possible to recessions and possible depression of the economy and this is likely to have a huge impact on jobs and living standard of the people world over.
Already governments are already implementing stimulus package to cushion the effect of the lockdown and its impact on their citizens, soccer athletes are considering and accepting wage cuts to ensure other non sporting staff of their clubs do not lose their jobs in the absence of income.
Global and continental tournaments like the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and European Continental Soccer tournament which comes every 4 years has been adjusted to possible new dates in 2021. After the containment and if possible total elimination of corona virus , the world as we know it will take some time to come to fore as the economists have already predicted that a huge economic battle is likely to await the world and its people after this pandemic.
