The COVID Advisor

Hydroxychloroquine was discovered during efforts to synthesize alternatives to quinine as anti-malarials. Is quinine similar to hydroxychloroquine? Hydroxychloroquine and quinine are both anti-malarial drugs. However, hydroxychloroquine is not the same as quinine as hydroxychloroquine is a synthetic drug while quinine is a naturally occurring compound found in cinchona bark.  Quinine, was first recognized as a potent antimalarial agent hundreds of years ago. Since then, the beneficial effects of quinine and its more advanced synthetic forms, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, have been increasingly recognized in a myriad of other diseases in addition to malaria. Hydroxychloroquine, developed in the 1950s from chloroquine, an old anti-malarial drug, is registered in around 60 countries under trade names such as Plaquenil, Quensyl and Plaquinol.   Hydroxychloroquine,  a less toxic derivative of Chloroquine  is a widely used medication by people with lupus or arthritis...

Hormone drugs that reduce androgen levels may help disarm the coronavirus spike protein used to infect cells and stop the progression of severe COVID-19 disease, suggests a preclinical study from researchers in the  Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania  and published  online in Cell Press’s iScience . Researchers show how two receptors—known as ACE2 and TMPRSS2—are regulated by the androgen hormone and used by SARS-CoV-2 to gain entry into host cells.  Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) is a cell surface protein primarily expressed by endothelial cells across the respiratory and digestive tracts. Figure 1 Blocking the receptors with the clinically proven inhibitors and other anti-androgen therapies prevented viral entry and replication as showed in lab studies. The findings provide more insight into the molecular mechanisms of the virus but also support the use of anti-androgen therapies to treat COVID-19 infections, which are currently bei...

SUZHOU, China, Dec. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kintor Pharmaceutical Limited ("Kintor Pharma," HKEX: 9939), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative small molecule and biological therapeutics, today provided an update on its multi-regional study of proxalutamide for the treatment of COVID-19 infection (NCT04870606). Statistical criteria were not met at an interim analysis of the phase III outpatient study, designed for testing efficacy and safety of proxalutamide for treating COVID-19 in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. At the interim analysis, 348 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms were enrolled. Kintor Pharma will seek for Health Authorities including the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's consent to amend the protocol and continue to enroll higher risk COVID-19 patients only with multiple comorbidities and/or patients with no COVID-19 vaccination history. Based on the interim analysis, there were no safety concerns and no drug-rela...

Benzene is a known human carcinogen, yet still ranks in the top 20 chemicals used in the U.S., based on production volume. 1   Despite its known toxicity, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued temporary guidance in March 2020, allowing it in hand sanitizers at levels up to 2 parts per million (ppm). 2 The allowance was made due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered unprecedented demand for disinfectant products like hand sanitizers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to prevent COVID-19 if soap and water aren’t available. 3 This, combined with panic and fear in the early days of the pandemic, led to shortages of hand sanitizer and supplies weren’t enough to meet consumer demand. As evidence of its increased prevalence, calls to Poison Control related to hand sanitizer increased 79% in March 2020 compared to March 2019. 4 This triggered the FDA to loosen its guidelines for th...

With winter here and the holiday season fast approaching, it is important to increase your chances of staying healthy during the festivities associated with this time of year. Fortunately, our I-MASK+ protocol includes lots of wonderful ways to boost your immune system and avoid illness during this time of year in particular. So we put together a Healthy Holiday “Gift Guide” — think of it as a holiday shopping list for good health! Over the next few weeks we’ll be introducing you to some of the simple, over-the-counter items you can stock up on to help keep you #COVIDstrong. Check back often and keep an eye on our social media channels to discover the full list. Vitamin D Vitamin D is essential for optimal health. Only a few foods contain Vitamin D, and the other most common natural source of Vitamin D is sun exposure. That’s why we need to be extra mindful of getting enough of it in winter. Our protocol recommends 1000–3000 IU per day of Vitamin D3 (25-75 mcg). Studies have shown an a...