Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Work Around The Clock At Incredible Speeds To Map Virus, Find Treatments And Develop Vaccines
The New York Times: Coronavirus Treatment: Hundreds Of Scientists Scramble To Find One
Working at a breakneck pace, a team of hundreds of scientists has identified 50 drugs that may be effective treatments for people infected with the coronavirus. Many scientists are seeking drugs that attack the virus itself. But the Quantitative Biosciences Institute Coronavirus Research Group, based at the University of California, San Francisco, is testing an unusual new approach. The researchers are looking for drugs that shield proteins in our own cells that the coronavirus depends on to thrive and reproduce. (Zimmer, 3/17)
NBC News: Here Are Some Of The Existing Drugs That May Be Repurposed To Treat Coronavirus
Pharmaceutical companies and research facilities are working to find new, successful treatments for those infected with coronavirus. But clinical trials and FDA approval can take time, so while new drugs are being developed, companies are seeing if older drugs can be repurposed. Here’s a list of some of the options being explored and why they might be useful in blunting the effects of coronavirus. (Siegel, 3/17)
Reuters: China Gives Go-Ahead For Human Trials Of Potential COVID-19 Vaccine: State Media
China has given the go-ahead for researchers to begin human safety tests of an experimental coronavirus vaccine in the race to develop a shot against the COVID-19 epidemic that has killed more than 7,000 people worldwide. Researchers at China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences, - affiliated to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) -received approval to launch early-stage clinical trials of the potential vaccine starting this week, the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Daily reported on Tuesday. (3/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Blood-Sample Shortages Slow Search For Coronavirus Drug
To cure the sick, drug researchers first need the blood of the healthy. Scientists trying to develop treatments for the new coronavirus have struggled to get a hold of recovered patients’ blood samples, which contain the building blocks needed to create new medicines. More than 180,000 people globally have been infected by the new coronavirus, but blood samples from recovered patients have been in short supply, say pharmaceutical executives, academic researchers and U.S. public health officials. (Walker, 3/17)
Reuters: Australian Researchers Map Immune Response To Coronavirus
Australian researchers said on Tuesday they have mapped the immune responses from one of country’s first coronavirus patients, findings the health minister said were an important step in developing a vaccine and treatment. The coronavirus has infected more than 168,000 people worldwide and killed at least 6,610, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). While the bulk of those infected experience only mild symptoms, it is severe or critical in 20% of patients. The virus mortality rate is about 3.4%, the WHO has estimated. (Packham, 3/17)
The New York Times: Is Ibuprofen Really Risky For Coronavirus Patients?
The health minister of France, Olivier Véran, has issued a blunt warning about painkillers taken by people ill with the coronavirus: Stay away from drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin. Take acetaminophen instead, he advised in a tweet on Saturday. So-called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen worsened symptoms of the illness caused by the coronavirus, he said. ... The advice left many medical experts scratching their heads. The coronavirus is a new pathogen, and little is known about the disease it causes, called Covid-19, or how patients respond to common medications. (Kolata, 3/17)
