The European Medicines Agency predicted that there could be drugs to treat the new coronavirus in the next few months. The organization added that a vaccine might be approved in early 2021.
Dr. Marco Cavaleri heads the European regulator’s vaccines department. He said Thursday that approving medicines to treat COVID-19 might be possible “before the summer” noting several current clinical trials.
A recent study in the United States suggested that the drug remdesivir could help patients recover from the coronavirus faster. Patients who received remdesivir recovered on average four days earlier than those who got the usual care. Earlier, animal studies showed remdesivir was effective against SARS and MERS, two diseases also caused by coronaviruses. It helped prevent infection and some symptoms when given early enough in the disease process.
In France, a group of hospitals reported success with use of another drug, Actemra, against COVID-19. In a study of 129 coronavirus patients, 65 were treated with the drug while the other patients received the usual care. The doctors did not release details, but said they were preparing to publish results. Actemra is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.
Doctors around the world are also trying a treatment for infections that is about 100 years old: giving blood plasma from recovered patients to sick ones. Plasma is the yellowish liquid part of blood. The blood from former patients is filled with protein molecules that fight infection. These molecules can help survivors defeat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Developing a vaccine
On Monday, the World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there are around seven or eight “top” candidates for a vaccine to combat COVID-19. He added work on the vaccines is being accelerated and helped with an additional $8 billion by 40 countries.
It usually takes years to develop a vaccine. But....Read more on VOA News Learningenglish
Dr. Marco Cavaleri heads the European regulator’s vaccines department. He said Thursday that approving medicines to treat COVID-19 might be possible “before the summer” noting several current clinical trials.
A recent study in the United States suggested that the drug remdesivir could help patients recover from the coronavirus faster. Patients who received remdesivir recovered on average four days earlier than those who got the usual care. Earlier, animal studies showed remdesivir was effective against SARS and MERS, two diseases also caused by coronaviruses. It helped prevent infection and some symptoms when given early enough in the disease process.
In France, a group of hospitals reported success with use of another drug, Actemra, against COVID-19. In a study of 129 coronavirus patients, 65 were treated with the drug while the other patients received the usual care. The doctors did not release details, but said they were preparing to publish results. Actemra is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.
Doctors around the world are also trying a treatment for infections that is about 100 years old: giving blood plasma from recovered patients to sick ones. Plasma is the yellowish liquid part of blood. The blood from former patients is filled with protein molecules that fight infection. These molecules can help survivors defeat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Developing a vaccine
On Monday, the World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there are around seven or eight “top” candidates for a vaccine to combat COVID-19. He added work on the vaccines is being accelerated and helped with an additional $8 billion by 40 countries.
It usually takes years to develop a vaccine. But....Read more on VOA News Learningenglish
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