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Alibudbud R. A Case of Pharmaceutical Messianism Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Infodemiological Study of Ivermectin in the Philippines. Policy Polit Nurs Pract 2023; 24:17-25. [PMID: 36518047 PMCID: PMC9760496 DOI: 10.1177/15271544221139455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Pharmaceutical messianism is a manifestation of medical populism. It arises during extraordinary crises, is built on the familiar, endorsed by heterodox authorities, and involves a highly accessible panacea. Amid the politics and public desperation in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmaceutical messianism can be observed in the form of Ivermectin, a panacea offered to prevent and treat COVID-19. Thus, it may be worthwhile to determine the changes and patterns of public interest toward Ivermectin. This infodemiological study utilized and described Search Volume Index and related queries for Ivermectin from Google Trends vis-à-vis reported societal events in the Philippines to determine changes in public interest in Ivermectin use. It revealed that a tremendous increase in public interest in Ivermectin has emerged during surges of COVID-19 cases, endorsement by politicians and heterodox health authorities, and public distribution of Ivermectin. It also showed that public interest increased as the number of component characteristics of pharmaceutical messianism increased. Search-related queries and topics also showed that the public might be using the internet to inform themselves regarding the use of Ivermectin for humans, including its use for COVID-19. These findings suggest that people may study the endorsed panacea and weigh it against conventional and orthodox treatment during rising COVID-19 cases. Thus, easily understandable, highly searchable, reliable, and trustworthy online information is ever-crucial in this age of information and disinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowalt Alibudbud
- Department of Sociology and Behavioral Sciences, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
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2
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Sharun K, Tiwari R, Yatoo MI, Natesan S, Megawati D, Singh KP, Michalak I, Dhama K. A comprehensive review on pharmacologic agents, immunotherapies and supportive therapeutics for COVID-19. NARRA J 2022; 2:e92. [PMID: 38449903 PMCID: PMC10914132 DOI: 10.52225/narra.v2i3.92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has affected many countries throughout the world. As urgency is a necessity, most efforts have focused on identifying small molecule drugs that can be repurposed for use as anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Although several drug candidates have been identified using in silico method and in vitro studies, most of these drugs require the support of in vivo data before they can be considered for clinical trials. Several drugs are considered promising therapeutic agents for COVID-19. In addition to the direct-acting antiviral drugs, supportive therapies including traditional Chinese medicine, immunotherapies, immunomodulators, and nutritional therapy could contribute a major role in treating COVID-19 patients. Some of these drugs have already been included in the treatment guidelines, recommendations, and standard operating procedures. In this article, we comprehensively review the approved and potential therapeutic drugs, immune cells-based therapies, immunomodulatory agents/drugs, herbs and plant metabolites, nutritional and dietary for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khan Sharun
- Division of Surgery, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, India
| | - Ruchi Tiwari
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Sciences, UP Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalay Evum Go-Anusandhan Sansthan (DUVASU), Mathura, India
| | - Mohd I. Yatoo
- Division of Veterinary Clinical Complex, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Shuhama, Alusteng Srinagar, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Senthilkumar Natesan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Opp to Airforce station HQ, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Dewi Megawati
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Warmadewa University, Denpasar, Indonesia
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Karam P. Singh
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, India
| | - Izabela Michalak
- Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Advanced Material Technologies, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, India
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3
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Yadav P, Chowdhury P. Effectivity of repurposed drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infections, A hope for COVID 19: inhibitor modelling studies by docking and molecular dynamics. Heliyon 2022; 8:e12327. [PMID: 36531644 PMCID: PMC9737521 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study, we have done a comparative study on the efficacy of some currently used repurposed drugs: Oseltamivir (O), Favipiravir (F) and Hydroxychloroquine (H) in individual and in their combinational mode against CoV-2 infections. The ADME analysis has helped us to identify the inhibitory possibility of the tested drugs towards receptor 3CLpro protein of SARS-CoV-2. Various thermodynamical parameters obtained from Molecular Docking, Molecular dynamics (MD) and MMPBSA simulations like binding affinity, potential energy (Epot), RMSD, RMSF, SASA energy, interaction energies, Gibbs free energy (ΔGbind) etc. also helped us to verify the effectivity of mentioned drugs against CoV-2 protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Yadav
- Department of Physics and Materials Science & Engineering, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida 201309, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Papia Chowdhury
- Department of Physics and Materials Science & Engineering, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida 201309, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Abraham J, Palaiodimos L, Arora S. COVID-19 Therapeutics: Improvise-Adapt-Learn. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11185312. [PMID: 36142959 PMCID: PMC9503323 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11185312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity"-Sun Tzu, The Art of War [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Abraham
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Leonidas Palaiodimos
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, NY 10461, USA
- School of Medicine, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY 10031, USA
- Correspondence: (L.P.); (S.A.)
| | - Shitij Arora
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, New York, NY 10461, USA
- Correspondence: (L.P.); (S.A.)
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5
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Walbi IA, Albarqi HA, Alghanim NS, Albadi MA, Al Maimouni HM, Alkahtani SA, Alshabi AM, Alali AS, Alqahtani F, Al-Najjar AH, Hazzazi MA, Alanazi DS, Sabei AA, Alsaweed OS, Alajra RK, Alqhtani H. Effect of chronic hydroxychloroquine use on COVID-19 risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus: a multicenter retrospective cohort. J Int Med Res 2022; 50:3000605221090363. [PMID: 35387504 PMCID: PMC8998490 DOI: 10.1177/03000605221090363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been used during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic because of its reported anti-viral activity. This study examined the association of chronic HCQ use with the incidence and complications of COVID-19. Methods This retrospective cohort study included adults with rheumatoid arthritis and/or systemic lupus erythematosus who visited rheumatology clinics in three tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January 2019 and December 2020. Patients were categorized into two groups based on HCQ use. Data were obtained from the electronic health record and by interviews with patients. The primary study objective was the incidence of COVID-19 and its complications from March 2020 to February 2021. Results Almost 11% of the study cohort was positive for COVID-19, and the incidence of COVID-19 was similar between HCQ users (11.11%) and nonusers (10.86%). Disease complication rates were similar in the study arms, and they mainly included fever, dry cough, fatigue, and breathing difficulty. Conclusions This study revealed no significant association between chronic HCQ use and the incidence of COVID-19, and disease complications were similar in the study arms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismail A Walbi
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hassan A Albarqi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nayef Saleh Alghanim
- Consultant, Rheumatology Department, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marzooq Abdullah Albadi
- Consultant internist and rheumatologist, Security Forces Hospital Program, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hesham Mohammed Al Maimouni
- Consultant, Rheumatology, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Assistant Professor of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Saad Ahmed Alkahtani
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Mohamed Alshabi
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amer S Alali
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-kharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faleh Alqahtani
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amal Hassan Al-Najjar
- Drug & Poison Information Center Supervisor, Security Forces Hospital Program, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad A Hazzazi
- Assistant Professor of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.,Vitreoretinal Division, Department of Vitreoretinal, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Deemah S Alanazi
- Senior Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Sabei
- Senior Registrar, Ministry of Health, First Health cluster, Western Riyadh Dental Complex, Periodontic Division, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Omer S Alsaweed
- Laboratory Services, Security Forces Hospital Program, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rahaf K Alajra
- Laboratory Services, Security Forces Hospital Program, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hussain Alqhtani
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
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Courcelles E, Boissel JP, Massol J, Klingmann I, Kahoul R, Hommel M, Pham E, Kulesza A. Solving the Evidence Interpretability Crisis in Health Technology Assessment: A Role for Mechanistic Models? FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 2022; 4:810315. [PMID: 35281671 PMCID: PMC8907708 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2022.810315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Health technology assessment (HTA) aims to be a systematic, transparent, unbiased synthesis of clinical efficacy, safety, and value of medical products (MPs) to help policymakers, payers, clinicians, and industry to make informed decisions. The evidence available for HTA has gaps-impeding timely prediction of the individual long-term effect in real clinical practice. Also, appraisal of an MP needs cross-stakeholder communication and engagement. Both aspects may benefit from extended use of modeling and simulation. Modeling is used in HTA for data-synthesis and health-economic projections. In parallel, regulatory consideration of model informed drug development (MIDD) has brought attention to mechanistic modeling techniques that could in fact be relevant for HTA. The ability to extrapolate and generate personalized predictions renders the mechanistic MIDD approaches suitable to support translation between clinical trial data into real-world evidence. In this perspective, we therefore discuss concrete examples of how mechanistic models could address HTA-related questions. We shed light on different stakeholder's contributions and needs in the appraisal phase and suggest how mechanistic modeling strategies and reporting can contribute to this effort. There are still barriers dissecting the HTA space and the clinical development space with regard to modeling: lack of an adapted model validation framework for decision-making process, inconsistent and unclear support by stakeholders, limited generalizable use cases, and absence of appropriate incentives. To address this challenge, we suggest to intensify the collaboration between competent authorities, drug developers and modelers with the aim to implement mechanistic models central in the evidence generation, synthesis, and appraisal of HTA so that the totality of mechanistic and clinical evidence can be leveraged by all relevant stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jacques Massol
- Phisquare Institute, Transplantation Foundation, Paris, France
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7
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Rando HM, Wellhausen N, Ghosh S, Lee AJ, Dattoli AA, Hu F, Byrd JB, Rafizadeh DN, Lordan R, Qi Y, Sun Y, Brueffer C, Field JM, Ben Guebila M, Jadavji NM, Skelly AN, Ramsundar B, Wang J, Goel RR, Park Y, Boca SM, Gitter A, Greene CS. Identification and Development of Therapeutics for COVID-19. mSystems 2021; 6:e0023321. [PMID: 34726496 PMCID: PMC8562484 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00233-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
After emerging in China in late 2019, the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread worldwide, and as of mid-2021, it remains a significant threat globally. Only a few coronaviruses are known to infect humans, and only two cause infections similar in severity to SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, a species closely related to SARS-CoV-2 that emerged in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, which emerged in 2012. Unlike the current pandemic, previous epidemics were controlled rapidly through public health measures, but the body of research investigating severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome has proven valuable for identifying approaches to treating and preventing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Building on this research, the medical and scientific communities have responded rapidly to the COVID-19 crisis and identified many candidate therapeutics. The approaches used to identify candidates fall into four main categories: adaptation of clinical approaches to diseases with related pathologies, adaptation based on virological properties, adaptation based on host response, and data-driven identification (ID) of candidates based on physical properties or on pharmacological compendia. To date, a small number of therapeutics have already been authorized by regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while most remain under investigation. The scale of the COVID-19 crisis offers a rare opportunity to collect data on the effects of candidate therapeutics. This information provides insight not only into the management of coronavirus diseases but also into the relative success of different approaches to identifying candidate therapeutics against an emerging disease. IMPORTANCE The COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly evolving crisis. With the worldwide scientific community shifting focus onto the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19, a large number of possible pharmaceutical approaches for treatment and prevention have been proposed. What was known about each of these potential interventions evolved rapidly throughout 2020 and 2021. This fast-paced area of research provides important insight into how the ongoing pandemic can be managed and also demonstrates the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to rapidly understand a virus and match its characteristics with existing or novel pharmaceuticals. As illustrated by the continued threat of viral epidemics during the current millennium, a rapid and strategic response to emerging viral threats can save lives. In this review, we explore how different modes of identifying candidate therapeutics have borne out during COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halie M. Rando
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Center for Health AI, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Nils Wellhausen
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Soumita Ghosh
- Institute of Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Alexandra J. Lee
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Anna Ada Dattoli
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Fengling Hu
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - James Brian Byrd
- University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Diane N. Rafizadeh
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ronan Lordan
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yanjun Qi
- Department of Computer Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Yuchen Sun
- Department of Computer Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey M. Field
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Marouen Ben Guebila
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nafisa M. Jadavji
- Biomedical Science, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ashwin N. Skelly
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Jinhui Wang
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rishi Raj Goel
- Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - YoSon Park
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - COVID-19 Review Consortium
BansalVikasBartonJohn P.BocaSimina M.BoerckelJoel D.BruefferChristianByrdJames BrianCaponeStephenDasShiktaDattoliAnna AdaDziakJohn J.FieldJeffrey M.GhoshSoumitaGitterAnthonyGoelRishi RajGreeneCasey S.GuebilaMarouen BenHimmelsteinDaniel S.HuFenglingJadavjiNafisa M.KamilJeremy P.KnyazevSergeyKollaLikhithaLeeAlexandra J.LordanRonanLubianaTiagoLukanTemitayoMacLeanAdam L.MaiDavidMangulSergheiManheimDavidMcGowanLucy D’AgostinoNaikAmrutaParkYoSonPerrinDimitriQiYanjunRafizadehDiane N.RamsundarBharathRandoHalie M.RaySandipanRobsonMichael P.RubinettiVincentSellElizabethShinholsterLamonicaSkellyAshwin N.SunYuchenSunYushaSzetoGregory L.VelazquezRyanWangJinhuiWellhausenNils
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Center for Health AI, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Institute of Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Biomedical Science, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- The DeepChem Project
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
- Early Biometrics & Statistical Innovation, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, R & D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Childhood Cancer Data Lab, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Simina M. Boca
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
- Early Biometrics & Statistical Innovation, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, R & D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Anthony Gitter
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Casey S. Greene
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Center for Health AI, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Childhood Cancer Data Lab, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW If developed using rigorous methods and produced in a timely manner, clinical practice guidelines have the potential to improve patient outcomes. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges involved in generating reliable clinical guidance, it has also provided an opportunity to address these challenges. RECENT FINDINGS New research addressing drugs for COVID-19 is being produced at unprecedented rates. Incorporating this new knowledge into patient care can be daunting for the average clinician. In collaboration with the BMJ and MAGIC, the WHO has developed a living guideline initiative with the goal of providing rapid and trustworthy clinical guidance in response to practice-changing evidence. As new evidence becomes available, it is incorporated into a living network meta-analysis that informs these guidelines, which are iteratively updated. Until this point, the group has generated guidelines addressing the use of corticosteroids, remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and ivermectin for COVID-19. SUMMARY We provide an example of how rapid and rigorous guidelines can be accomplished, even in the setting of a pandemic, capitalizing on expertise, large and dedicated teams, and focused scope. We highlight the benefits of multifaceted knowledge dissemination through multiple formats to ensure global dissemination and in order to maximize impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Rochwerg
- Department of Medicine
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leticia Kawano-Dourado
- HCor Research Institute, Hospital do Coração, São Paulo, Brazil
- INSERM 1152, University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - Nida Qadir
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
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9
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Understanding and predicting COVID-19 clinical trial completion vs. cessation. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253789. [PMID: 34252108 PMCID: PMC8274906 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
As of March 30 2021, over 5,193 COVID-19 clinical trials have been registered through Clinicaltrial.gov. Among them, 191 trials were terminated, suspended, or withdrawn (indicating the cessation of the study). On the other hand, 909 trials have been completed (indicating the completion of the study). In this study, we propose to study underlying factors of COVID-19 trial completion vs. cessation, and design predictive models to accurately predict whether a COVID-19 trial may complete or cease in the future. We collect 4,441 COVID-19 trials from ClinicalTrial.gov to build a testbed, and design four types of features to characterize clinical trial administration, eligibility, study information, criteria, drug types, study keywords, as well as embedding features commonly used in the state-of-the-art machine learning. Our study shows that drug features and study keywords are most informative features, but all four types of features are essential for accurate trial prediction. By using predictive models, our approach achieves more than 0.87 AUC (Area Under the Curve) score and 0.81 balanced accuracy to correctly predict COVID-19 clinical trial completion vs. cessation. Our research shows that computational methods can deliver effective features to understand difference between completed vs. ceased COVID-19 trials. In addition, such models can also predict COVID-19 trial status with satisfactory accuracy, and help stakeholders better plan trials and minimize costs.
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10
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Karia RH, Nagraj S, Gupta I, Barua A, Kaur N, Singh H. Hydroxychloroquine: A review of its safety and efficacy in COVID-19. J Family Med Prim Care 2021; 10:1124-1133. [PMID: 34041139 PMCID: PMC8140271 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1961_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus that has infected millions of people across the world. Given the compelling need to develop a therapeutic strategy, hydroxychloroquine has been advocated as an effective drug for the infection. However, multiple clinical trials conducted using hydroxychloroquine have yielded contrasting results. An electronic search using the primary databases from WHO, PubMed and Google Scholar was performed that yielded 21 studies eligible for inclusion. Among a total of 1,350 patients who received hydroxychloroquine, 689 (51.04%) were females. The most commonly reported comorbidities include hypertension (15.18%), diabetes mellitus (8.44%) and pulmonary disease (8.96%). Of the hydroxychloroquine-treated patients, 70% were virologically cured compared to 12.5% of the control group (p = 0.001). A good clinical outcome with virological cure was reported in 973 patients (91%) within 10 days out of 1,061 hydroxychloroquine-treated patients. A total of 29 (65%) renal transplant recipients achieved complete recovery following hydroxychloroquine administration. A total of 37 (2.7%) patients reported QT prolongation. Hydroxychloroquine was found to reduce mortality in healthy, SARS-Cov-2 positive patients and improve clinical recovery in renal transplant recipients. However, a definitive conclusion regarding its effect on viral clearance can only be reached by conducting more clinical trials involving bigger and diverse samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rutu H Karia
- Anna Medical College and Research Centre, Mauritius
| | - Sanjana Nagraj
- Internal Medicine, Jacobi Medical Centre/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
| | - Ishita Gupta
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Amit Barua
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Nirmaljot Kaur
- Sri Guru Ramdas Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| | - Harmandeep Singh
- Sri Guru Ramdas Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, Punjab, India
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Reis G, Moreira Silva EADS, Medeiros Silva DC, Thabane L, Singh G, Park JJH, Forrest JI, Harari O, Quirino dos Santos CV, Guimarães de Almeida APF, de Figueiredo Neto AD, Savassi LCM, Milagres AC, Teixeira MM, Simplicio MIC, Ribeiro LB, Oliveira R, Mills EJ. Effect of Early Treatment With Hydroxychloroquine or Lopinavir and Ritonavir on Risk of Hospitalization Among Patients With COVID-19: The TOGETHER Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2021; 4:e216468. [PMID: 33885775 PMCID: PMC8063069 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.6468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Data on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine or lopinavir-ritonavir for the treatment of high-risk outpatients with COVID-19 in developing countries are needed. OBJECTIVE To determine whether hydroxychloroquine or lopinavir-ritonavir reduces hospitalization among high-risk patients with early symptomatic COVID-19 in an outpatient setting. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This randomized clinical trial was conducted in Brazil. Recently symptomatic adults diagnosed with respiratory symptoms from SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled between June 2 and September 30, 2020. The planned sample size was 1476 patients, with interim analyses planned after 500 patients were enrolled. The trial was stopped after the interim analysis for futility with a sample size of 685 patients. Statistical analysis was performed in December 2020. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomly assigned to hydroxychloroquine (800 mg loading dose, then 400 mg daily for 9 days), lopinavir-ritonavir (loading dose of 800 mg and 200 mg, respectively, every 12 hours followed by 400 mg and 100 mg, respectively, every 12 hours for the next 9 days), or placebo. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcomes were COVID-19-associated hospitalization and death assessed at 90 days after randomization. COVID-19-associated hospitalization was analyzed with a Cox proportional hazards model. The trial included the following secondary outcomes: all-cause hospitalization, viral clearance, symptom resolution, and adverse events. RESULTS Of 685 participants, 632 (92.3%) self-identified as mixed-race, 377 (55.0%) were women, and the median (range) age was 53 (18-94) years. A total of 214 participants were randomized to hydroxychloroquine; 244, lopinavir-ritonavir; and 227, placebo. At first interim analysis, the data safety monitoring board recommended stopping enrollment of both hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir-ritonavir groups because of futility. The proportion of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 was 3.7% (8 participants) in the hydroxychloroquine group, 5.7% (14 participants) in the lopinavir-ritonavir group, and 4.8% (11 participants) in the placebo group. We found no significant differences between interventions for COVID-19-associated hospitalization (hydroxychloroquine: hazard ratio [HR], 0.76 [95% CI, 0.30-1.88]; lopinavir-ritonavir: HR, 1.16 [95% CI, 0.53-2.56] as well as for the secondary outcome of viral clearance through day 14 (hydroxychloroquine: odds ratio [OR], 0.91 [95% CI, 0.82-1.02]; lopinavir-ritonavir: OR, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.94-1.16]). At the end of the trial, there were 3 fatalities recorded, 1 in the placebo group and 2 in the lopinavir-ritonavir intervention group. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this randomized clinical trial, neither hydroxychloroquine nor lopinavir-ritonavir showed any significant benefit for decreasing COVID-19-associated hospitalization or other secondary clinical outcomes. This trial suggests that expedient clinical trials can be implemented in low-income settings even during the COVID-19 pandemic. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04403100.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilmar Reis
- Research Division, Cardresearch—Cardiologia Assistencial e de Pesquisa, Brazil
- Department of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Daniela Carla Medeiros Silva
- Research Division, Cardresearch—Cardiologia Assistencial e de Pesquisa, Brazil
- Department of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Lehana Thabane
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gurmit Singh
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jay J. H. Park
- Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Cytel Inc, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jamie I. Forrest
- Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Cytel Inc, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ofir Harari
- Cytel Inc, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Castilho Vitor Quirino dos Santos
- Research Division, Cardresearch—Cardiologia Assistencial e de Pesquisa, Brazil
- Department of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Aline Cruz Milagres
- Public Health, Mental and Family Medicine Department, Ouro Preto Federal University, Ouro Preto, Brazil
- Public Health Care Division, City of Ibirité, Brazil
| | - Mauro Martins Teixeira
- Drug Research and Development Center, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | | | - Rosemary Oliveira
- Research Division, Cardresearch—Cardiologia Assistencial e de Pesquisa, Brazil
| | - Edward J. Mills
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Razzaque MS. COVID-19 pandemic: Can zinc supplementation provide an additional shield against the infection? Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:1371-1378. [PMID: 33680350 PMCID: PMC7923946 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19)-induced severe acute respiratory syndrome is a global pandemic. As a preventive measure, human movement is restricted in most of the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with the World Health Organization (WHO) have laid out some therapeutic guidelines for the infected patients. However, other than handwashing and vigilance surrounding commonly encountered oronasal symptoms and fever, no universally available prophylactic measure has yet been established. In a pandemic, the accessibility of a prophylactic biologically active substance is crucial. Ideally, it would be something readily available at a low price to a larger percentage of the population with minimal risk. Studies have demonstrated that zinc may reduce viral replication and increase immune responses. While consuming zinc (within the recommended upper safety limits), as a prophylactic might provide an additional shield against the initiation and progression of COVID-19 would need clinical studies, the potential clearly exists. Even after vaccination, low zinc status may affect the vaccination responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed S. Razzaque
- Department of Pathology, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, USA
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Skipper CP, Boulware DR. Hydroxychloroquine in Nonhospitalized Adults With Early COVID-19. Ann Intern Med 2021; 174:434-435. [PMID: 33721539 DOI: 10.7326/l20-1426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Lariccia V, Magi S, Serfilippi T, Toujani M, Gratteri S, Amoroso S. Challenges and Opportunities from Targeting Inflammatory Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Narrative Review. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E4021. [PMID: 33322733 PMCID: PMC7763517 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9124021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that continues to sweep across the world, posing an urgent need for effective therapies and prevention of the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome related to coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). A major hypothesis that is currently guiding research and clinical care posits that an excessive and uncontrolled surge of pro-inflammatory cytokines (the so-called "cytokine storm") drives morbidity and mortality in the most severe cases. In the overall efforts made to develop effective and safe therapies (including vaccines) for COVID-19, clinicians are thus repurposing ready-to-use drugs with direct or indirect anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. Speculatively, there are many opportunities and challenges in targeting immune/inflammatory processes in the evolving settings of COVID-19 disease because of the need to safely balance the fight against virus and aggressive inflammation versus the suppression of host immune defenses and the risk of additional harms in already compromised patients. To this end, many studies are globally underway to weigh the pros and cons of tailoring drugs used for inflammatory-driven conditions to COVID-19 patient care, and the next step will be to summarize the growing clinical trial experience into clean clinical practice. Based on the current evidence, anti-inflammatory drugs should be considered as complementary approaches to anti-viral drugs that need to be timely introduced in the management of COVID-19 according to disease severity. While drugs that target SARS-CoV-2 entry or replication are expected to confer the greatest benefits at the early stage of the infection, anti-inflammatory drugs would be more effective in limiting the inflammatory processes that drive the worsening of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Lariccia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, School of Medicine, University “Politecnica delle Marche”, Via Tronto 10/A, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (S.M.); (T.S.); (M.T.)
| | - Simona Magi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, School of Medicine, University “Politecnica delle Marche”, Via Tronto 10/A, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (S.M.); (T.S.); (M.T.)
| | - Tiziano Serfilippi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, School of Medicine, University “Politecnica delle Marche”, Via Tronto 10/A, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (S.M.); (T.S.); (M.T.)
| | - Marwa Toujani
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, School of Medicine, University “Politecnica delle Marche”, Via Tronto 10/A, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (S.M.); (T.S.); (M.T.)
| | - Santo Gratteri
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University “Magna Graecia”, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Salvatore Amoroso
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, School of Medicine, University “Politecnica delle Marche”, Via Tronto 10/A, 60126 Ancona, Italy; (S.M.); (T.S.); (M.T.)
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