Clinical trials of COVID-19 medicine begin in New York

For the treatment of coronavirus in New York will begin to issue an antimalarial drug. If the tests are successful, it will be issued to many New Yorkers. This is reported by the publication "News".

About the preparation

March 24 in New York will begin to issue a drug for the treatment of patients with coronavirus. The drug is called Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine). This was stated by US President Donald Trump. “I am pleased to report that clinical trials of existing drugs that can be effective against the virus will begin in New York,” he said.

It is reported that this drug has previously proven itself in the fight against malaria.

If the tests are successful, it will be issued to many New Yorkers.

Trump also noted that, on his instructions, the federal government will help acquire a large amount of Hydroxychloroquine if necessary.

The reaction of authorities and specialists

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has confirmed that the state will begin clinical trials of a drug for malaria, which the president has proposed to use to treat those infected with coronavirus. "The President is optimistic about these drugs and we are all confident they can work," Cuomo said at a daily press conference in Albany. The National Interest.

Cuomo said health officials purchased 750 doses of chloroquine for malaria, 70 doses of its derivative hydroxychloroquine, and 10 doses of the antibiotic Zitromax for use in trials.

At the same time, some health officials expressed “cautious optimism” regarding the drug. Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the Baylor School of Medicine, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have “great potential,” but “we don’t have much data yet.”

As previously сообщалось, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the effects of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19, but has not yet made any recommendations.

On the subject: If you become infected with a coronavirus: 10 steps to take

In addition, on March 21, the infectious disease specialist Dr. Edsel Salvana warned patients not to take hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin unless prescribed by a doctor. “Both drugs affect the QT interval of your heart and can lead to arrhythmias and sudden death, especially if you take other drugs or have heart disease,” he wrote.

At the same time, Dr. Mehmet Oz said he was optimistic about French research data. “These drugs were extremely effective in reducing the viral load in people with COVID-19,” Oz explained in an interview with Fox and Friends. “We could make this virus look like a flu virus, if that's true.”

About the study

The first cure for COVID-19 was reported by France. Researchers from this country have published a statement detailing how a combination of antimalarial drugs and antibiotics can be an important weapon in the fight against coronavirus.

Researchers at the IHU-Méditerranée Infection in Marseille have attracted worldwide attention, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump. He called for the immediate use of these drugs in the United States.

In a statement dated March 22, IHU-Méditerranée Infection describes a protocol for treating patients with COVID-19. “Treatment with a combination of hydroxychloroquine (200 mg x 3 per day for 10 days) + azithromycin (500 mg on the 1st day, then 250 mg per day for another 5 days), as part of the precautions for using this combination (including an electrocardiogram ), They write in the translated statement. “In cases of severe pneumonia, a broad-spectrum antibiotic is also used.”

In a summary of their research, experts noted that patients “showed a significant decrease in viral carriage” 6 days after the start of treatment with two drugs, and “a significantly shorter average duration of carriage” compared to patients who did not receive such treatment.

The latter were included in the study for negative control. 6 patients in the study were asymptomatic, while 22 had symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection and 8 had symptoms of a lower respiratory tract infection. In total, the researchers examined 20 cases.

The number of infected in the USA

As of March 23, the United States ranks third in the number of infected with COVID-19. A total of 43 people fell ill in America, 734 died, according to Worldometer.

In this regard, on March 23, New York banned mass gatherings of people and called for keeping distance from other people.

Earlier, on March 20, the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, issued a decree on the introduction of isolation for all who are not workers in critical areas. The list of the most important enterprises and organizations includes: health care, basic infrastructure and production, financial institutions, suppliers of basic necessities for economically disadvantaged segments of the population and so on. You can find the full list here.

Cuomo noted that for violation of quarantine companies may be punished - from penalties to the closure of the enterprise.

Recall that in the state of New York opened mobile (drive-thru) test points for the presence of coronavirus. They are located in New Rochelle and Nassau, Rockland and Suffolk counties, as well as in a number of Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens hospitals. True, not everyone can get tested. Details about this read in this material.