StemCell Therapy

Development of PrEP for COVID-19 Could Allow Country to Open Safely Before a Vaccine Is Available

Development of PrEP for COVID-19 is likely possible in a shorter period of time than a vaccine. Although there are no drugs approved yet for treatment or prevention of COVID-19, expert opinions and computer modeling analysis have been able to identify a set of compounds, both small molecules and biological macromolecules, that could stop severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) from replicating in the body.1

PrEP has already been established as an effective medicine that revolutionized the fight against HIV. Since a vaccine for HIV has not yet been developed after decades of research, PrEP has been able to act as a preventative measure for those vulnerable to the disease.1 As a preventative measure, PrEP has been able to reduce vulnerable populations chance of infection by over 99%.2

Our experience with HIV shows that we cannot pin all our hopes on the development of a vaccine, no matter how optimistic we may be, said James Krellenstein, a co-founder of PrEP4All and member of the COVID-19 Working Group New York, in a press release. Development of PrEP for COVID-19 has the potential to be a major breakthrough until a vaccine is available. But research efforts will fail to deliver unless we take a dramatically different approach.2

Currently, scientists have found that some of the molecules that could block the replication of SARS-CoV-2 are already FDA-approved drugs. However, the United States has not been able to coordinate the necessary processes that would effectively evaluate the antiviral potency of these compounds in vitro. This has resulted in a limited number of them having been tested to prove their efficacy in preventing COVID-19.1

In its report, the PrEP4All Collaboration detailed 3 recommendations to facilitate a centrally coordinated process created by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with industry and international partners, that would support the development of PrEP for COVID-19 prevention1:

PrEP4All has done the world a great service, said Gregg Gonsalves, assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, in a press release. Using antiviral drugs to prevent SARS-CoV2 transmission, just as we use them to prevent HIV, opens up another way to bring this pandemic to an end. Unfortunately, what PrEP4All exposes is an effort just getting off the ground, with no coordination and leadership of key tasks like high throughput screening and prioritization of clinical trials. NIH, FDA, WHO should heedPrEP4Alls recommendations to get this effort on track and scaled-up.2

From prior experience with pandemics such as HIV, according to the report, it has been established that the most efficient method of advancing results is by creating a coordinated process between institutions such as the NIH and WHO, as well as academic and industry partners. Such a process can result in clearer directions regarding basic science and clinical care for a disease.1

In the past, PrEP has been highly effective at fighting pandemics that devastated global populations in a way that seemed uncontrollable. Today, no one knows with certainty the method that will effectively control COVID-19, but it has become necessary to find the most efficient way possible.1

We owe it to the world to explore every possible option in controlling this pandemic, said Krellenstein in a press release. PrEP could be a game-changer for the COVID-19 response and save countless lives, especially among the most vulnerable populations. But that will not happen unless we better coordinate our efforts and urgently prioritize research.2

REFERENCES

See the article here:
Development of PrEP for COVID-19 Could Allow Country to Open Safely Before a Vaccine Is Available - Pharmacy Times

This entry was posted on May 15, 2020 at 7:44 pm and is filed under Preventative Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |