Covid-19-drug: a virologist Drosten diminishes the hope of a quick solution

Almost daily there is new information about the novel SARS-CoV-2 Virus and with each Information the uncertainty of many people is greater, also because of the profound measures, which restrict the everyday solid.

With border closures, quarantine measures and output lock, many States are trying to the spread of Covid-19 curb – to date, the number of new infections could not be driven significantly down.

This is due to the fact that there is still no breakthrough in the search for drugs against the Virus.

A light view of already existing drugs against Malaria or Ebola are currently offering – also US President Donald Trump Sufferers pressed for the use of a Malaria drug in the treatment of Covid-19 -.

The virologist Dr. Christian Drosten of the Charité hospital in Berlin can share the hope of a quick solution by a suitable drug for the moment, however, only conditionally, as he says in the NDR Podcast.

Medications are in the testing phase

There are currently several drugs are being tested in various clinics, and the drug Remdesivir, which was for a long time as a beacon of hope in the fight against Covid-19, for example.

Originally this drug was developed against Ebola and is now being tested in two studies of Corona-patients in Germany.

Christian Drosten know: “When Remdisivir we have a substance with a plausible and well-known mechanism, namely, an inhibitor of viral RNA Polymerase, the replication enzyme of the Virus. It is clear that the substance against corona viruses in cell culture and in animal models.”

However, the drug and its use brings currently has a non-negligible issue, because it will only be released in certain circumstances for individual patients, which are in a Phase of oxygen, but no cardiovascular medication support need.

Drosten explained: “Remdisivir is a direct-acting anti-viral substance that you want to give earlier, since the Virus would jump already in the first week of the disease through the respiratory tract. This suggests that you can’t make a difference in a later Phase so much.”

Nevertheless, the expert looks at the original Ebola drug as a possibility in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 Virus, and stresses: “Remdisivir is a real Chance that we know here how it goes. We have a mechanism and an idea of how it works.”

Malaria drug arouses more hope

Last week, US President Donald Trump for the use of an already existing drug that was originally used in the fight against Malaria, but also against the old SARS Virus achievements promoted showed.

Trump said: “The drug chloroquine could be used in combination with the antibiotic Azithromycin is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of medicine.”

Chloroquine inhibits an ATPase – it changed the ionic environment in certain departments of the cell, which are delimited by the membranes.

In it there is an inner environment, for example a pH value, but also their own concentrations of other ions. This internal Milieu of the cellular compartments is disrupted by chloroquine.

Free from side-effects this drug is not but, therefore, a virologist, is the Drosten cautious with regard to the possible use of the Malaria drug.

“A lot of people in the “know” are very sceptical about chloroquine and ask whether this is really helpful,” says the expert in the Podcast.

Drosten is researching further Corona-drug

The expert itself is already conducting research with a Team with high pressure on a drug for Covid-19-Ill – these investigations are carried out together with a group of specialists Stefan Pöhlmann in Göttingen.

Drosten explained: “Stefan was able to discover that you can reduce with a substance that Camostat is, entry of the Virus. We have made the experiments with the full Virus and found that the new SARS-2 Virus, in a stronger way than the well-known SARS Virus, a certain TRANS-membrane Protease used – gap is a protein enzyme.”

With this Protein, the cell helps the Virus involuntarily at the entrance, and supports a infection. In fact, there is a drug that this cellular Protein inhibits Camostat.

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This substance is approved as a drug against chronic inflammation of the pancreas in Japan – you can buy it already in the pharmacy.

Drosten added: “On this Basis, you can now do something that you can’t do with other substances. You can say that for large animal experiments is not the time and you have an approved substance.”

So researchers could check, in certain cases, in clinical controlled studies, whether patients achieve a Benefit from the substance.

“This is a typical study for the Off-Label Use and something we will start now,” says the virologist.

Many drugs can currently not be used

Many medications must be given according to the expert, already in the early phase of the disease – such as Remdesivir or the influenza agent Favipiravir.

Currently, this is in the fight against Corona but not for each patient possible, know the virologist, and stresses: “on the one Hand, the patient at this time, often times in the hospital. If such a medication, then you must be able to monitor – they have side effects.”

In addition, another Problem is, according to the virologists at the substance Remdesivir the availability of the substance.

“Originally against Ebola developed, is not prepared by the company, of course, that is now a pandemic comes, and suddenly every substance will have.”

A real breakthrough is not so continue to the right medical approaches are, however, and the development of an appropriate drug, thus, hopefully, only a matter of time.

Until then, the population is stopped, the measures such as Social Distancing and proper hand hygiene to continue to comply with the spread of the Coronavirus to contain more.

Antonia Hagedorn

*The post “Covid-19-drug: a virologist Drosten diminishes the hope of a quick solution” is published by FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.