The COVID Advisor

Update from the Chief Investigators of the Platform Randomised trial of INterventions against COVID-19 In older peoPLE (PRINCIPLE), 25 January 2021 In March 2020, the UK-wide Platform Randomised trial of INterventions against COVID-19 In older people (PRINCIPLE) trial was established as a flexible, platform randomised clinical trial to test a range of potential treatments for COVID-19 that might be suitable for use in the community to help people recover more quickly and prevent the need for hospital admission. The trial is one of three national platform trials for COVID-19 treatments, and complements the RECOVERY and REMAP-CAP trials that focus on hospitalised patients. Azithromycin and doxycycline are two commonly used antibiotics investigated as separate treatments in the trial. Both drugs are being used by some doctors in the hope of treating COVID-19 in the early stages of the illness. After reviewing interim analyses of both the azithromycin and doxycycline arms of the PRINCIPLE ...

LONDON: Oxford University researchers are planning to trial a drug that has shown signs of reducing COVID-19 deaths in developing countries. The Principle trial is aiming to find a drug that works soon after virus symptoms appear in a patient, and one that is most effective during the primary stages of the illness, The Times reported . The trial is assessing Ivermectin , a medicine used on livestock and people who have been infected by parasitic worms, which has been hailed by some as a “wonder drug” with the potential to save thousands of lives, the report added. Other scientists said the drug had not been assessed properly and that the full extent of its efficacy was not yet known. “It has potential antiviral properties and anti-inflammatory properties and there have been quite a few smaller trials conducted in low and middle- income countries, showing that it speeds recovery, reduces inflammation and reduces hospitalisation,” said Chris Butler, professor of primary care at Oxford an...

As of January 2021, there are more than 4,300 studies that have been launched to investigate various treatments for COVID-19. You can review the details of these trials on  ClinicalTrials.gov . New ones are being added every day.  Below, we look at the top 10 most tested categories. 1. Vaccine This is the most watched and anticipated category. Technically, vaccine is not considered a treatment but rather a preventive strategy to boost your immune system and reduce the risk of getting COVID-19. As of January 2021, researchers are currently testing  67 vaccines  in clinical trials on humans, and 20 have reached the final stages of testing. The vaccine remains a promising agent for COVID-19 protection, and the published reports of the candidate vaccines showcase some encouraging results. Major vaccine candidates: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine - This is the first vaccine to receive WHO validation for emergency use. Oxford - AstraZeneca (inactivated vaccine) ...

Dec. 31, 2020  /PRNewswire/ -- A peer-reviewed updated summary of COVID-19 early-treatment best practices was published in  Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine , an interdisciplinary scientific, open access journal. This international collaboration — comprised of physicians, like lead author  Peter McCullough , MD, outlines the urgency of "prompt early initiation of sequenced multi-drug therapy (SMDT) … to stem the tide of hospitalizations and death." The authors explain: The early stage of viral replication provides a therapeutic window of tremendous opportunity to potentially reduce the risk of more severe sequelae in high risk patients. Precious time is squandered with a 'wait and see' approach … resulting in unnecessary hospitalization, morbidity, and death.… In newly diagnosed, high-risk, symptomatic patients with COVID-19, SMDT has a reasonable chance of therapeutic gain with an acceptable benefit-to-risk profile. Included in the paper is a "seque...