In a paper recently published by a team of New York researchers Hydroxychloroquine administration was not associated with either a greatly lowered or an increased risk of the composite end point of intubation or death. Hydroxychloroquine has been widely administered to patients with Covid-19 without robust evidence supporting its use. The association between hydroxychloroquine use
Effective antiviral therapy is important for tackling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this paper published on The Lancet the efficacy and safety of combined interferon beta-1b, lopinavir–ritonavir, and ribavirin for treating patients with COVID-19 was assessed. Methods This was a multicentre, prospective, open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial in adults with COVID-19 who were
The rapid global spread of the novel coronavirus SARS–CoV–2 has caused societal, economic, and medical upheaval not seen since the 1918 influenza pandemic. As of May 9th, cases were confirmed in 203 countries, areas or territories, with over 3.9 million confirmed cases and over 275,000 deaths. Further, many experts believe these numbers to be a
Based on previous research that explored therapies against SARS-CoV, a new report has identified a fully human monoclonal antibody (mAb) that prevents the SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting cultured cells. Authored by a team of researchers from Utrecht University, Erasmus Medical Center, and Harbour BioMed, the report was published in Nature Communications on May 4. Monoclonal antibodies that
Cytokine storms may impact the severity of COVID-19 cases by lowering T-cell populations, according to a study published in Frontiers in Immunology on May 1. The immune response against virus-infected cells often requires activation of cytotoxic T cells to clear infection. Therefore, a boost in number and function of T cells — a specialized type of white
Preliminary research from the US has suggested one particular mutation – G614 -has emerged in Europe and become dominant around the planet, leading the researchers to believe the virus has mutated to become more contagious. The paper hasn’t yet been reviewed by other scientists and formally published. The bold hypothesis, however, was immediately met with skepticism
FDA has issued guidance to provide recommendations to health care providers and investigators on the administration and study of investigational convalescent plasma collected from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 (COVID-19 convalescent plasma) during the public health emergency. The guidance provides recommendations on the following: pathways for use of investigational COVID-19 convalescent plasma patient eligibility collection of
Researchers believe the NETs may be relevant to numerous aspects of novel coronavirus as thrombosis and inflammation are hallmarks of the severe infection. Source: University of Michigan New research finds a connection between destructive white blood cells and a more severe disease course in patients with COVID-19. “We found that patients with COVID-19 infection have higher
EU CCP Database – Covid-19 convalescent plasma collection and transfusion in the EU The European Commission is working together with Member States, the European Blood Alliance (EBA), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and other health professionals to support a study of convalescent plasma as a treatment for COVID-19 patients. The study complements the guidance issued
A high cumulative incidence of thrombotic complications was reported in critically ill patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of three Dutch hospitals. The incidence was re-evaluated of the composite outcome of symptomatic acute pulmonary embolism (PE), deep-vein thrombosis, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction and/or systemic arterial embolism in all COVID-19 patients admitted
