COVID-19 drugs found in France: Trump urged to use them immediately in the USA

Researchers from France published a statement detailing how a combination of antimalarial drugs and antibiotics can become an important weapon in the fight against coronavirus, writes Fox News. Researchers at the IHU-Méditerranée Infection in Marseille have attracted worldwide attention, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump.

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In early March, researchers prescribed anti-malarial hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin to patients, according to data published in the International Journal of Antimicrobials. Some experts, however, also call for caution regarding the combination of drugs.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is studying the effects of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19, but has not yet made any recommendations on it.

In a statement published March 22, the IHU-Méditerranée Infection describes a protocol for treating patients with COVID-19.

“Treatment with a combination of hydroxychloroquine (200 mg x 3 per day for 10 days) + azithromycin (500 mg on day 1, then 250 mg per day for another 5 days), as part of the precautions for using this combination (including an electrocardiogram ), they write in a translated statement. “In cases of severe pneumonia, a broad-spectrum antibiotic is also used.”

“We believe that it is not ethical to exclude this combination from systematic trials regarding the treatment of COVID-19 infection in France,” the researchers add.

In a summary of their research, experts noted that patients “showed a significant reduction in viral carriage” 6 days after the start of treatment with two drugs, and “a significantly shorter average duration of carriage” compared to untreated patients.

Untreated patients were included in the study for negative control. 6 patients in the study were asymptomatic, while 22 had symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection and 8 had symptoms of a lower respiratory tract infection. Researchers examined 20 cases.

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“Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, taken together, have a real chance of being one of the most significant changes in the history of medicine,” President Trump tweeted on Saturday, March 21.

Trump called for the immediate use of a combination of drugs.

“FDA has moved mountains - Thank you! Hopefully they BOTH (G works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobials) will be applied immediately. People are dying, act quickly and God will bless everyone!”

Photo: twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

In an interview with Fox and Friends, Dr. Mehmet Oz said he was optimistic about French research data.

“These drugs were extremely effective in reducing viral load in people with COVID-19,” Oz explained. “We could make this virus behave much more like a flu virus, if this is true.”

Experts also call for caution regarding the combination of drugs. On March 21, infectious disease specialist Dr. Edsel Salvana warned patients not to take hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin unless prescribed by a doctor.

“Both drugs affect the QT interval of your heart and can lead to arrhythmia and sudden death, especially if you are taking other medications or have heart disease,” he wrote.

“There are cases where doctors may use one or both drugs for confirmed lung disease, but only with careful monitoring,” he explained in another tweet. - There is evidence that this CAN work, but it is very early. DO NOT take any drug unless your doctor prescribes it and monitors you closely.”

Former CDC head says vitamin D may reduce the risk of coronavirus infection

A higher mortality rate from COVID-19 among older people and people with chronic diseases suggests that a weakened immune system contributes to poor results, writes former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Tom Frieden for Fox News. Next - from the first person.

There are many speculations about miracle cures, but science does offer one real possibility - although not proof. The point is that vitamin D can strengthen the immune system, especially in people with low levels of this vitamin.

Vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of respiratory infections, regulates cytokine production, and may limit the risk of contracting other viruses such as influenza. A respiratory infection can lead to cytokine storms, a vicious cycle in which our inflammatory cells damage organs throughout the body. This increases the mortality rate for people with COVID-19. Taking vitamin D in adequate doses may potentially provide some modest protection for vulnerable populations.

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This is especially important for people with vitamin D deficiency—and, surprisingly, this may include more than 40% of adults in the US. People who live in the northern part of the US are at greater risk of deficiency.

There is evidence of seasonality for some respiratory diseases, including influenza and tuberculosis. There is a hypothesis that seasonality is due to a decrease in the level of vitamin D in the body due to the reduced exposure to sunlight in the winter months. In some tropical climates (for example, in southern India), there is no seasonal flu or tuberculosis, and the weather and sunshine remain more constant throughout the year.

When I worked in India in 1996-2002, a CDC employee, Dr. Laura Thorpe, who studied this issue on the road, found that more infections occur in the northern climate, where there is a cool or cold winter season, with little or no seasonality in the southern regions of the country, where it is hot all year round.

We do not currently know whether vitamin D deficiency plays any role in the severity of COVID-19. But given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this country, we can confidently recommend that people get the right daily dose of vitamin D.

The body of most people produces vitamin D in the skin when exposed to the sun. About 15 minutes a day of direct sunlight is enough for the body to produce enough vitamin D; people with dark skin need longer exposure to sunlight to produce the same amount. In winter, people in the northern latitudes cannot produce vitamin D from sunlight. Sunscreen increases the indicated time.

Few foods are rich in vitamin D (egg yolks and oily fish such as salmon), which makes fortified foods and vitamin supplements important. We have been adding vitamin D to milk for almost a century, initially to reduce rickets, so most babies are not deficient in vitamin D.

As we get older and drink less milk, we need other sources of vitamin D. Most daily multivitamin supplements contain enough vitamin D—but it's important not to overdose. How much should I take? Doses between 800 IU and 2000 IU are probably safe; a reasonable and commonly used dose is 1000 IU per day. Too much vitamin D can cause nausea and vomiting, weakness and frequent urination, as well as bone pain and kidney stones. Vitamin D can also interact with some medications, so you should check this before taking supplements.

In the meantime, get outside—but make sure you follow social distancing guidelines to avoid close contact with others, and stay home if you're sick or can't go out safely. Walking will also help you get some physical activity. Eat healthy foods that contain or are supplemented with vitamin D. Take a daily multivitamin supplement (but don't double your daily dose just because you're worried).

There are many things we can do to improve our resistance to infection. These include regular physical activity, getting enough sleep, stopping smoking and other forms of tobacco use, and for people living with diabetes, controlling it. Taking a multivitamin that includes vitamin D or a vitamin D supplement probably won't hurt, and may help.

As we continue to work to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, all we can do to strengthen our resistance to infection is a step in the right direction.

The material is published for educational purposes and is not a medical recommendation. ForumDaily is not responsible for the consequences of self-medication and may not share the views of the author or expert.

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