Lawson discussed how drugmaker Gilead Sciences asked the Food and Drug administration last week to give it the rare „orphan“ status for remdesivir, the company’s experimental coronavirus treatment.
Archiv: medicine / drugs / vaccines
Germany hopes Bayer malaria drug could treat COVID-19
In an interview with Bild newspaper (link in German), federal health minister Jens Spahn said that there “are early indications that certain medications seem to help,” and that there were ongoing studies in Germany into what drugs could potentially work in treating coronavirus, “including with this old malaria drug.”
He added that more studies are needed as all drugs have side effects. However, he expects an effective drug to treat COVID-19 to come on the market much earlier than a vaccine.
My good news contribution for today: Researchers in Denmark are starting to test a promising drug in #covid19 patients, barely a month after research appeared showing the drug could stop the virus in cell culture.
KroganLab Camostat mesylate binds to a protein on human cells called TMPRSS2. And SARS-CoV-2 needs this protein to efficiently enter human cells: The spike protein on top of the virus attaches to the ACE2 receptor on human cells. And then TMPRSS2 needs to make a cut in the spike.
Denmark will start a clinical trial of a drug named camostat mesylate tomorrow—barely 1 month after a Cell paper showed the compound can prevent the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, from entering human cells…
Coronavirus | Germany says low death rate is due to widespread testing
(26.03.2020)
“The reason why Germany has so few deaths compared to the number of infected people can be explained by the fact that we carry out an extremely large number of laboratory diagnostic tests,” said Mr. Drosten, who heads the Institute of Virology at Berlin’s Charite University Hospital.
The Trumpian French Doctor Behind the Chloroquine Hype
(30.03.2020)
The founder and director of Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire, or IHU, in Marseille, the 68-year-old Raoult has compiled a sometimes dazzling, sometimes disturbing career that could have been scripted by Marcel Pagnol or Honoré de Balzac. Born in Senegal, Raoult defied his father, who was serving there as a military doctor, and quit high school in his junior year. Signing up with the French merchant marine, the young Raoult spent the next two years at sea.
Column: The suspect science behind Trump’s chloroquine claims
(01.04.2020)
Chloroquine is dangerous when not taken under a doctor’s rigorous supervision, and its shortage can cause life-threatening consequences for lupus patients and serious health effects for rheumatoid or inflammatory arthritis patients.
The bottom line is that evidence for chloroquine’s effectiveness in COVID-19 is unsubstantiated. It derives heavily from the work of a controversial French expert in infectious diseases, Didier Raoult,
Jens Spahn reserved huge amounts Chloroquine against Corona at the German pharma giant Bayer. Bayer also assured the US a big amount of it
(20.03.2020)
BILL GATES: A new kind of terrorism could wipe out 30 million people in less than a year — and we are not prepared
(18. Februar 2017)
When I decided 20 years ago to make global health the focus of my philanthropic work, I didn’t imagine that I’d be speaking at a conference on international security policy. But I’m speaking here at the Munich Security Conference because I believe our worlds are more tightly linked than most people realize.
Event 201: Bill Gates & World Economic Forum Simulated Coronavirus Outbreak 6 Weeks Before First Case in Wuhan
(27.01.2020)
Event 201 is a pandemic tabletop exercise hosted by The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on October 18, 2019, in New York, NY. The exercise illustrated the pandemic preparedness efforts needed to diminish the large-scale economic and societal consequences of a severe pandemic. Drawing from actual events, Event 201 identifies important policy issues and preparedness challenges that could be solved with sufficient political will and attention. These issues were designed in a narrative to engage and educate the participants and the audience.
Does a Japanese medication for heartburn work on corona patients?
At the moment, the researchers are waiting for the actual drug to arrive from Japan.
Coronavirus Round-Up: Eight more deaths in Denmark
Researchers at the University of Aarhus are assessing an already established drug that could prevent the coronavirus from spreading into the human lungs and perhaps slow down the pandemic. Camostat mesylate was developed several years ago for the treatment of heartburn and pancreatitis in Japan, where it was approved by the Japanese Medicines Agency. A trial is planned to test it on 180 coronavirus patients across Denmark as early as next week.
There Is A Drug Already Used In Japan Which May Treat COVID-19, Says New Study
(03.03.2020)
“We knew from our previous work that camostat mesylate was active against other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV. Therefore, we tested whether it is also active against SARS-CoV-2,” said Stefan Pöhlmann, PhD, Professor in the same institute in Göttingen. “Our study shows that camostat mesylate blocks infection of cells with SARS-CoV-2-like particles and with authentic, patient-derived SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, camostat mesylate inhibited infection of important target cells – human lung epithelial cells,” he added.
The novel coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV) uses the SARS-coronavirus receptor ACE2 and the cellular protease TMPRSS2 for entry into target cells
(31.01.2020)
Here, we demonstrate that 2019-nCoV-S uses the SARS-coronavirus receptor, ACE2, for entry and the cellular protease TMPRSS2 for 2019-nCoV-S priming. A TMPRSS2 inhibitor blocked entry and might constitute a treatment option. Finally, we show that the serum form a convalescent SARS patient neutralized 2019-nCoV-S-driven entry. Our results reveal important commonalities between 2019-nCoV and SARS-coronavirus infection, which might translate into similar transmissibility and disease pathogenesis. Moreover, they identify a target for antiviral intervention.
(…)
The present study suggests that 2019-nCoV spread might also depend on TMPRSS2 activity and it is noteworthy that the serine protease inhibitor camostat mesylate blocks TMPRSS2 activity (24, 26) and has been approved in Japan for human use, although for an unrelated indication. This compound or related ones should be considered for treatment of 2019-nCoV infected patients.
Preventing spread of SARS coronavirus-2 in humans: Göttingen infection researchers identify potential drug
(05.03.2020)
Since it is known that the drug camostat mesilate inhibits the protease TMPRSS2, the researchers have investigated whether it can also prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2. „We have tested SARS-CoV-2 isolated from a patient and found that camostat mesilate blocks entry of the virus into lung cells,“ says Markus Hoffmann, the lead author of the study. Camostat mesilate is a drug approved in Japan for use in pancreatic inflammation. „Our results suggest that camostat mesilate might also protect against COVID-19,“ says Markus Hoffmann. „This should be investigated in clinical trials.“
(Yonhap Interview) COVID-19 vaccine, drugs on fast track for development: IVI chief
Phases 3 studies of Remdesivir made by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Gilead could take place in South Korea soon.
President Maduro thanks China’s support to fight COVID-19 in Venezuela
(12.03.2020)
He informed that the Venezuelan government has formally requested Xi Jinping’s government to send specialists, scientists and doctors that took part in controlling coronavirus in China “to unite knowledge and efforts.”
President Maduro pointed out that Venezuela has received 10,000 doses of Interferon alfa 2b, a Cuban antiviral used to fight COVID-19 in China.
COUNTING ON CUBA: Chief Medical Officer seeks more info to combat COVID-19
Trinidad and Tobago’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Roshan Parasram, says he has requested more information on a Cuban drug known as Interferon alfa-2b which is said to be successful in treating the deadly COVID-19 virus and has saved the lives of thousands in China.
The drug is giving hope in the face of the pandemic and neighbouring governments such as St Vincent and the Grenadines, Venezuela and Panama have already turned to Cuba for help.
Ecuadorian government asked to purchase interferon from Cuba
Quito, March 17 (Prensa Latina) The Communist Party of Ecuador on Tuesday demanded the government to make every effort to acquire the recombinant Alpha 2B, a drug produced in Cuba, which has proven effective in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
The political party pointed out that the request is made under the protection of Article 358 of the Constitution,
Salvador requests Interferon Alpha 2B from Cuba to treat COVID-19
San Salvador, Mar 16, (Prensa Latina) The governemnt of Salvador informed that it requisitioned some six thousand units of the Interferon Alpha 2B medicine, used successfully in China to treat the COVID-19.
According to a statement of the Presidential House, the request responds to the policy of President Nayib Bukele of anticipating the eventual impact of the pandemic, although so far no positive cases have been reported in the country.
China approves vaccine trials for coronavirus, on par with US
Dozens of countries and regions have joined a „vaccine race“ since the outbreak. Now as China and the US come to the same position in vaccine development, Chinese experts held that China would probably go one step ahead due to systematic advantages.
Cuba leads global efforts against COVID-19 in spite of blockade
The drug, developed in Cuba, is produced in China at the Changchun Heber Biological Technology, located in Jilin province, in a joint venture as part of an agreement between the two socialist countries in biotechnology.
It has prevented thousands of deaths in South Korea. Out of the 8,000 infected peoples, only 72 died. Germany has also bought these antivirals from the ChangHeber to fight the pandemic. Out of the 3,156 infected people, only 3 died.
Phillips asks Cuba for drug to fight coronavirus
KINGSTON, Jamaica — President of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Dr Peter Phillips, has reached out to the Government of Cuba for Jamaica to access the anti-viral drug Interferon Alpha 2B, which is said to be among 30 such drugs being used in the fight against the COVID-19 virus in other jurisdictions.
This drug is being used in 14 other jurisdictions in Asia, Europe and South America, the PNP said in a statement today.
Molecular characterization of recombinant human interferon alpha-2b produced in Cuba
(January 1999)
The recombinant human interferon α 2b (IFN-α2b) produced by Cuban technology is obtained from Escherichia coli.This is the active principle of the product registered in Cuba as Heberon alfa R® trademark (IFN-α2b, CIGB, Havana),which has been successfully used worldwide for the therapy of several viral diseases and neoplasms. Here wedescribe the purity and identity tests used for its molecular characterization.
Cuban drug used to tackle COVID-19
(13.03.2020)
Developed in 1986 by a team of researchers from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), human recombinant Interferon Alfa 2B has benefited thousands of Cuban patients since its introduction into the national health system, and is one of the drugs currently used to combat the new coronavirus COVID-19.
Battle of the Biotech Unicorns: CureVac vs. Moderna
(06.11.2017)
But despite being competitors, the companies’ CEOs seem to have quite a good relationship and consider each other collaborators rather than enemies. Every year, they organize an mRNA conference together that takes turns between Boston and Berlin to bring together all the stakeholders in the field. It was at this year’s edition, in Berlin, that I had the chance to bring them together for an interview regarding the future of mRNA therapies.
Coronavirus: Biotech company ships first batches of vaccine, to be tested on humans: report
The trials will be held at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Testing will involve 45 young, healthy volunteers and it uses Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine.
„Unlike a normal vaccine, RNA vaccines work by introducing an mRNA sequence (the molecule which tells cells what to build) which is coded for a disease-specific antigen, once produced within the body, the antigen is recognized by the immune system, preparing it to fight the real thing,“ according to the University of Cambridge.
CureVac works on mRNA vaccine for coronavirus
Since 2006, the company has been manufacturing mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics. It is currently looking to boost its manufacturing capacity to supply up to billions of doses during outbreaks.
CureVac chief technology officer Mariola Fotin-Mleczek said: “Nature has invented mechanisms to activate our immune system against infectious diseases. With our unique messenger RNA technology, we mimic nature and give our body the information on how to fight against the virus.
Moderna : Germany tries to halt U.S. interest in firm working on coronavirus vaccine
CureVac in 2015 and 2018 secured financial backing for development projects from its investor the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, working on shots to prevent malaria and influenza.
In the field of so-called mRNA therapeutics, CureVac competes with U.S. biotech firm Moderna and German rival BioNTech, which Pfizer has identified as a potential collaboration partner.
German officials to discuss report of U.S. seeking to secure rights to coronavirus vaccine
CureVac said on its website that CureVac CEO Daniel Menichella met with President Trump and Vice President Pence earlier this month to discuss a coronavirus vaccine. The CEO said at the time he was “very confident that we will be able to develop a potent vaccine candidate within a few months.”
Potential coronavirus vaccine trial set to start on Monday: AP
According to the AP, the trial will start testing 45 young, healthy participants with different doses of the vaccine, which was developed by both the NIH and Moderna Inc.
CureVac, Sanofi Pasteur, and In-Cell-Art Collaborate on €33.1M DARPA-Supported Vaccine Program
(November 15, 2011)
The four-year DARPA-supported program will exploit CureVac’s RNActive technology along with In-Cell-Art’s nanoparticle expertise and Sanofi’s vaccine development capabilities.
The option agreement signed between Sanofi and CureVac in parallel with the DARPA collaboration covers pre-agreed license terms for the development of vaccines against a number of predefined pathogens.
CureVac and CEPI extend their Cooperation to Develop a Vaccine against Coronavirus nCoV-2019
(31.01.2020)
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is one of the founding members of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and has committed a total of 90 million euro to its work. CEPI brings together a range of diverse stakeholders to develop much-needed vaccines for the prevention of future pandemics. Anja Karliczek, Federal Minister of Education and Research, said:
“The Coronavirus is currently the source of concern for many people. The development of a vaccine is an extremely important element in the effort to combat this viral infection. It is encouraging to see that this process now has the support of the international CEPI alliance, which is also making use of German research and development expertise. I hope that good results can soon be achieved for which so many people are waiting at this time.”
Germany and US in tug of war as Donald Trump tries to buy rights to coronavirus vaccine
While more than two dozen pharmaceutical firms are in a race to develop the first effective vaccine against the coronavirus, CureVac may have an edge thanks to an experimental technology that allows it to deliver the prophylactic in extremely small doses.
It appears to have caught Mr Trump’s eye when he met the company’s chief executive during a crisis summit
Not true. The Welt story was wrong. But Business Insider, Reuters and others went with it anyway despite not having their own sources. Now everyone is back peddling.
Germany tries to stop Trump from luring away firm working on coronavirus vaccine
(March 15, 2020, 4:54 PM CET)
She declined to comment on any takeover possibilities but referred to Germany’s foreign trade law, under which Berlin can examine takeover bids from non-EU, so-called third countries „if national or European security interests are at stake“.
There was no comment immediately available from the U.S. embassy in Berlin when contacted by Reuters on Sunday over the report, and nobody was available to comment at CureVac. Welt am Sonntag said CureVac declined to comment.
Timetable For A Vaccine Against The New Coronavirus? Maybe This Fall: NPR
(12.02.2020)
CEPI is a global partnership of public, private and philanthropic organizations; it’s also supporting efforts at the biotech companies Moderna and CureVac.
(…)
Even in the rosiest of scenarios, Hatchett says, once the vaccine is in hand, it still needs to get to the people who need it, and that takes time — at least weeks to months, depending on the urgency.
The Event 201 scenario
(October 2019)
The disease starts in pig farms in Brazil, quietly and slowly at first, but then it starts to spread more rapidly in healthcare settings. When it starts to spread efficiently from person to person in the low-income, densely packed neighborhoods of some of the megacities in South America, the epidemic explodes. It is first exported by air travel to Portugal, the United States, and China and then to many other countries. Although at first some countries are able to control it, it continues to spread and be reintroduced, and eventually no country can maintain control.
There is no possibility of a vaccine being available in the first year.
Germany tries to stop U.S. from luring away firm seeking coronavirus vaccine
German government sources told Reuters on Sunday that the U.S. administration was looking into how it could gain access to a potential vaccine being developed by a German firm, CureVac.
Earlier, the Welt am Sonntag German newspaper reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had offered funds to lure CureVac to the United States, and the German government was making counter-offers to tempt it to stay.
Germany’s CureVac says low-dose coronavirus vaccine could allow for mass production
(13.03.2020)
Privately held Curevac, which was granted up to $8.3 million by CEPI in January, is working to draw on its low-dose vaccine technology, which has showed promise in an early-stage rabies trial, for use against the coronavirus.
The Tuebingen, Germany, based company hopes to have an experimental vaccine ready by June or July to then seek the go-ahead from regulators for testing on humans.
Coronavirus treatment: Vaccines/drugs in the pipeline for Covid-19
Here is a list of the major coronavirus drugs that pharmaceutical companies across the world are developing that have the potential to become major coronavirus vaccines or antivirals for treating the contagious coronavirus infection.
Preventing spread of SARS coronavirus-2 in humans: Göttingen infection researchers identify potential drug
Viruses must enter cells of the human body to cause disease. For this, they attach to suitable cells and inject their genetic information into these cells. Infection biologists from the German Primate Center – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen, together with colleagues at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, have investigated how the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 penetrates cells. They have identified a cellular enzyme that is essential for viral entry into lung cells: the protease TMPRSS2. A clinically proven drug known to be active against TMPRSS2 was found to block SARS-CoV-2 infection and might constitute a novel treatment option (Cell).
Trump says he will hold off designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups
“However, at the request of a man who I like and respect, and has worked so well with us, President Andres Manuel @lopezobrador we will temporarily hold off this designation and step up our joint efforts to deal decisively with these vicious and ever-growing organizations!” he said.
Mexico will not accept intervention from abroad, president says
Referring to recent outbreaks of gang violence that have fed concern that the United States could try to intervene in Mexico, Lopez Obrador thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his support and said his government would handle the country’s security challenges.
Operation Condor 2.0: After Bolivia coup, Trump dubs Nicaragua ‘national security threat’ and targets Mexico
After presiding over a far-right coup in Bolivia, the US dubbed Nicaragua a “national security threat” and announced new sanctions, while Trump designated drug cartels in Mexico as “terrorists” and refused to rule out military intervention.
Venezuela Captures Paramilitary Photographed With Guaido
Venezuela’s Minister of Communication and Information, Jorge Rodríguez, announced on Friday the capture of Argenis Vaca, alias ‚Vaquita‘, who was in charge of the finances of the Colombian paramilitary group ‚Los Rastrojos‘.
Venezuela inks agreement with Iran in medical sector amid sanctions
The Venezuelan science minister has paid a visit to Iran’s Science and Technology Park in Tehran to buy medical equipment from Iran amid the US sanctions on both countries.
Thousands protest against Honduran president after drug link surfaces
The demonstration against Hernandez was called by the Platform for the Defense of Education and Public Health, a coalition of trade unionists and public workers that have sought the president’s ouster over his plans for public services.
A conservative ally of the United States, Hernandez has come under increasing pressure since his younger brother Tony was arrested in Miami in November on drug trafficking charges.
DEA Investigated Honduras President for Cocaine Trafficking
The document, filed Tuesday, sought a court order to force tech companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft, to turn over email information from eight targets of the investigation, including President Juan Orlando Hernandez and Security Minister Julian Pacheco.
Two Israelis Arrested in Global Dark Web Investigation
The suspects, in their mid-30s, were arrested during a joint investigation with the FBI and Israel’s cyber crime unit. Further arrests were made in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Brazil.
Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela
We find that the sanctions have inflicted, and increasingly inflict, very serious harm to human life and health, including an estimated more than 40,000 deaths from 2017–2018; and that these sanctions would fit the definition of collective punishment of the civilian population as described in both the Geneva and Hague international conventions, to which the US is a signatory. They are also illegal under international law and treaties which the US has signed, and would appear to violate US law as well.
US sanctions on Venezuela responsible for ‚tens of thousands‘ of deaths, claims new report
As many as 40,000 people may have died in Venezuela as a result of US sanctions that made it harder for ordinary citizens to access food, medicine and medical equipment, a new report has claimed.
The report, published by the Centre for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) a progressive, Washington DC-based think tank, says those deaths took place following the imposition of sanctions in the summer of 2017.
Second death, more accusations sharpen focus on Ed Buck, California Democratic megadonor; Donated to Clinton, Obama, Sinema, Lieu, Gomez, Aguilar, Krishnamoorthi, Donnelly… big PAC contributor. #TheDemocrats
The Cost of Silence: How A Wealthy LA Democratic Donor Muted The Political Party of “Allies” and “Coalition Building”
(17.8.2017) Local news showed video surveillance of Moore’s body being removed from Buck’s house as another young man was just arriving. Almost implying that Buck planned to keep on “partying” even after the death of Moore in his house.
The white gay community came out in DROVES to condemn Kevin Hart for tweeting a gay joke years ago. But this same white LGBT community is completely quiet about punishing suspected white supremacist Ed Buck for allegedly drugging several unsuspecting Black men & leaving 2 dead
2nd man found dead at Democratic donor Ed Buck’s West Hollywood apartment is identified
In July 2017, the body of 26-year-old Gemmel Moore was found at the same apartment. The coroner’s office ruled Moore’s death an accidental methamphetamine overdose, to the dismay of his family, who wanted prosecutors to charge Buck with a crime.
Buck was present at the location when both deaths occurred, according to the sheriff’s department.