Coronavirus: Development Of Drugs And Vaccines
A large number of pharmaceutical laboratories are currently working on the development of drugs and a possible vaccination with the aim of combating the coronavirus. It is reported from China that the first emergency vaccine will be used in April.
Four of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies announced that 30 antiviral drugs were already being tested for their effectiveness against the coronavirus (COVID-19). They also informed that the effectiveness of a first possible vaccine was also being investigated.
The announcement was made by representatives of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the Korean Research-based Pharma Industry Association (KRPIA) ).
They also announced the group- wide merger sought by the pharmaceutical industry in order to bundle forces and knowledge regarding the virus. But the participation of health authorities and organizations as well as science and research is also necessary. This can be achieved through collaboration in research and development programs (R + D).
Coronavirus drug development
First and foremost, existing antivirals that have been successfully used against the HIV virus and Ebola are being researched for their effectiveness with regard to the coronavirus. Several test phases are currently underway ; At the same time, researchers are reviewing the available literature for more information on the active ingredients.
Another branch of research deals with the analysis of the effect of cholinesterase inhibitors on the coronavirus. It has been observed that the behavior of these inhibitors can be useful in combating the virus.
It is currently known that the American laboratory AbbVie primarily performs tests with a combination of two antivirals: lopinavir and ritonavir. For their part, the Roche Merck and Bayer groups are researching interferons. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is in the process of testing the active ingredient zanamivir and Gilead the drug remdesivir.
Other pharmaceutical companies
The Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda is also looking into potential new drugs. One of these is a blood plasma derivative, which, according to the expert opinion, should serve to prevent the coronavirus in patients at increased risk.
Pfizer, on the other hand, is working to drive approval of certain antivirals that were developed before the outbreak of the epidemic. The laboratory assures that it has already tested the virus-inhibiting effect with other, artificially produced coronaviruses, which, however, differ from COVID-19. The breakthrough seems to be within reach.
Finally, the pharmaceutical company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is known to be working with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to find one or more drugs and treatments that can stop the epidemic.
Coronavirus vaccine
In addition to drug development, scientists are trying to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus. The company Janssen, the pharmaceutical branch of Johnson & Johnson and in some countries also known as Sanofi Pasteur, trades heavily ahead with the development of a possible vaccine. The same thing happens at GSK .
These and other pharmaceutical companies are working on different vaccines at the same time. Some of these have a temporary effect, while others promise a more permanent solution.
According to some US media, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are leading the way in this development. They indicate that a successful experiment has already been carried out on mice and that testing on young and healthy volunteers is imminent.
According to information from China, the first emergency vaccines are already available there, which are to be used in urgent cases of coronavirus as early as April in urgent cases.
Dr. Peter Daszak
Dr. Peter Daszak, head of the EcoHealth Alliance , which studies the evolution of diseases in the context of the ecosystem, says the world is reacting wrongly to the occurrence of epidemics like the coronavirus. In his opinion, the development of a vaccine against the coronavirus does not prevent the risk of further epidemics, which may come very soon.
In his argumentation, the expert cites the case of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). A vaccine against the disease would only curb one of many ways of infection. Daszak also refers to HIV, for which, after many years of research, there are drugs but no vaccine.
He points out that it is rather advisable to change the behavior of humanity around the world. Above all, it is a matter of creating the necessary regulations for points of contact with the wild, since the majority of these viruses originate in animals that humans come into contact with when they cut trees, build roads or trade in wild animals.
What needs to be clear
Possible antidotes to COVID-19 are still in the development phase. Even if a lot of energy and capacities in the pharmaceutical industry are currently going into finding a virostat or a vaccine, one must be aware that we are still in the experimental phase.
