The president of the Scientific Council, Jean-François Delfraissy, of a cautious nature, is optimistic about the arrival of an anti-Covid treatment for mid-November.
- The antiviral drug Molnupiravir appears to be one of the most likely to be put on the market soon.
- Clinical trials of a handful of other treatments are ending and these products could be available by the end of the year.
In the fight against Covid-19, any help is welcome. Soon, these are the treatments that could well be added to the vaccines to fight against the virus. This is what Jean-François Delfraissy, the president of the Scientific Council, wants to believe. Of a rather cautious nature, he estimated on Thursday August 26 at the microphone ofEuropean 1 be hopeful that an anti-Covid treatment is available “from mid-November”.
“science is on the move”
The President of the Scientific Council believes that among all the research in progress, some should soon lead to the development of an effective treatment. “There are several companies that are building new drugs directed against the enzymes of Sars-Cov-2, these little bits of the virus that allow it to multiply.”, according to the immunologist. For him, “science is on the move”, as he mentioned the day before on the set of the 20 hours of France 2.
Monlupiravir, a credible candidate
If Jean-François Delfraissy does not cite any drug, Molnupiravir appears to be one of the most likely to be put on the market soon. “I think Pr. Delfraissy echoed this substance, initially developed against the flu by the Merck Sharp and Dohme laboratorybelieves the chemist Jean-Hugues Renault, questioned by the Huffington Post. Merck has greatly accelerated the phase II and III trials of Molnupiravir. The trials should actually end at the end of 2021. It is a nucleoside analogue, an antiviral which prevents the multiplication of the virus in our cells. And it is formulated orally.”
The first data pre-published on June 17, on this drug revealed a reduction in the viral load which makes it possible to reduce the risk of making a serious form but also of transmitting the virus. In addition, the treatment seems to cause few side effects. These results have yet to be confirmed on a larger cohort, but the United States has already paid $1.2 billion in pre-orders.
Other treatments in the test phase
Other treatments bring hope and could also be available within the deadlines given by the President of the Scientific Council. Among them, there is AT52, an antiviral currently in phase II and III clinical trials and would reduce the viral load by 80%. Alisporivir, currently in phase II clinical trials, is another potential treatment. “In these three cases, the molecule already existed and showed potential on SARSCoV2, which is indeed likely to significantly accelerate market launch.”, believes Jean Hugues Renault.
In France, biotech Xenothera is working with the Pasteur Institute in Lille to develop XAV-19, a polyclonal antibody whose function is to target certain antigens of the virus. Clinical trials began last June but the government has already pre-ordered 30,000 first doses in the event of validation by the High Health Authority. The first results are expected by the end of September.
On the side of the World Health Organization (WHO), three drugs are being tested. These three treatments are artesunate, imatinib and infliximab. They are already used to treat other pathologies. Artesunate is a drug for severe malaria, imatinib is used for certain cancers including leukaemia, while infliximab is used to treat Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other immune system diseases.
Medicines already used
Some drugs are already authorized and used in care services. On the WHO side, three treatments have been given the green light. These are dexamethasone, tocilizumab and sarilumab. The first is a corticosteroid prescribed for people on life support. The other two, produced by Sanofi, are monoclonal antibodies that mimic how the immune system fights the coronavirus. The WHO reported in a July 6 statement that “administration of these drugs reduces the risk of death by 13% compared to standard treatments”. This is “15 fewer deaths per thousand patients, and up to 28 fewer deaths per thousand critically ill patients”, she specifies.
Added to this are the treatments authorized in France by the High Authority for Health (HAS). The Ronapreve is one of them but it is reserved”in pre-exposure or post-exposure to Sars-CoV-2, in immunocompromised patients who are not protected despite full vaccination”, specifies the health authority. According to Regeneron, the American laboratory that manufactures it, it could reduce hospitalizations and deaths by 70%.
Caution is the mother of safety
While waiting for the arrival of a treatment, Jean-François Delfraissy remains cautious despite his optimism. “Everything can fall apart. Unexpected toxicities may show up during testing”, he underlined.
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