Corona-Medikament
New pill against Corona and Long-Covid – researchers skeptical
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RKI downgrades threat from Corona to “moderate”.
RKI downgrades threat from Corona to “moderate”.
The Robert Koch Institute has downgraded its assessment of the threat posed by Corona to “moderate”. However, the experts advise caution.
Video: politics, medicine, health
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A Japanese company claims to have developed a remedy against Covid-19 that cures the disease faster. What’s behind it?
Berlin. The worst phase of the corona pandemic is over in this country, but people are still getting Covid-19 every day – and some even get it Long-Covid. The lung disease caused by the corona virus cannot yet be cured with medication. But that could change soon.
At least that’s what a pharmaceutical company from Japan claims. According to a study by the company Shionogi in Osaka, the antiviral, i.e. a substance that slows down the multiplication of viruses, called “Ensitrelvir” should last for a Covid-19 illness shorten. On average, patients with moderate or mild disease would test negative a day earlier if they took the drug. The study was now in the journal “Nature” published.
But the manufacturer of Ensitrelvir goes even further: The company claims that the drug is associated with a disease Long-Covid prevented. At a specialist conference in the US state of Seattle, representatives of the company presented study results that are intended to prove this. So far, however, this evidence has not been sufficiently independently verified.
Healing Covid-19: Ensitrelvir is said to alleviate the course of the disease
Currently, only the drugs Paxlovid and Molnupiravir are used to treat Covid-19. Both are used in patients who are at increased risk of developing severe disease. However, whether they affect a possible Long Covid disease have is still controversial. The results would therefore be a real breakthrough – if they are correct.
The Ensitrelvir study involved 1,200 subjects. One group received the drug, another a placebo. The participants who received the drug woke up an average of 24 hours earlier than five Covid Symptoms recovered: runny nose, sore throat, cough, feeling feverish and tired. They were also able to test negative 29 hours earlier than the placebo group average.
Long-Covid: What helps against the unexplored disease?
Finally, the study participants were asked about other symptoms three and six months after their illness. Here, Shionogi claims to have found out that people with a severe course of the disease14 percent of those treated with Ensitrelvir developed long-Covid. In the placebo group, 26 percent of the patients with a severe course later developed long-Covid. Shionogi therefore assumes that ensitrelvir reduces the risk of contracting Covid-19.
However, it is currently questionable whether Shionogi has validly recognized and defined long-Covid diseases as such. It is also not at all clear whether Corona virus are themselves the trigger for a long-Covid illness. This could also be caused by the immune response to the virus. Several researchers have therefore expressed skepticism and urge further research. Ensitrelvir is probably not a miracle cure for Covid-19 or even Long-Covid. (lro)
