Australia's treatment of Covid-19 victims has improved, with doctors claiming that new drug options and more experience with the virus have helped to ease the burden on hospitals.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia approved sotrovimab, a new anti-inflammatory treatment. This drug will protect those at greatest risk of developing severe diseases.
Professor Paul Griffin, Mater Health Services' director of infectious diseases, stated that it is the first treatment available for mild Covid. Other treatments have been limited to patients with serious disease in hospitals.
Griffin stated that Sotrovimab, an antibody treatment, has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of severe disease in people. It's also been proven in clinical trials to be effective in reducing the likelihood of developing it. It can be administered to anyone at high risk of developing severe symptoms. Although it is important to give it early so that people don't become very sick, it can stop severe illness progression.
The drug is able to bind to the spike protein of the virus. This protein is vital for the virus' ability to enter cells, replicate, and spread throughout the body. This is blocked by Sotrovimab.
Griffin stated that sotrovimab has been approved for use in Australia by vulnerable individuals over 55 who have significant health problems or are suffering from comorbidities such as diabetes or kidney disease.
He stated that those people are at a very high risk of becoming severely ill with Covid. This antibody can help reduce the likelihood of them becoming seriously ill within five days.
It is being used right now and has been shown to modify the disease course in those at highest risk. Although there are some supply limitations, this medication will be very helpful, since we don't have any antiviral drugs that are particularly effective.
He said that it will have the downstream effect of reducing hospital strain, particularly in intensive care units.
Even if there are many Covid cases, this drug will ensure that we have fewer people in the hospital system. It will also mean that we can use fewer resources. This could potentially make the virus more manageable.
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Griffin stated that doctors and nurses are now more skilled in treating severe cases. The risk of death has been reduced for most people who are critically ill and on ventilators since last year. The evidence is strong enough to show that the risks of using it for Covid treatment outweigh any benefits.
For patients with mild to moderate disease, it is not recommended. It appears to reduce the severity of symptoms and over-active immune response in patients with severe disease. It is also safe to use in ventilated children.
Tocilizumab (and baricitinib) are two other anti-inflammatory drugs being tested in ventilated patients. However, there is a severe shortage in the former in Australia. These drugs may reduce the risk of death for critical patients, but there is more research needed, according to Australian clinical care guidelines.
Guidelines conditionally recommend that antiviral Remdesivir be used in hospitalized adults with moderate or severe Covid-19. This is because it reduces the chance of death. It is not recommended for adults who require ventilation.
This is in contrast to the World Health Organization guidelines which advise against the use remdesivir for hospitalized patients regardless of severity of the disease. Griffin stated that remdesivir has had a mixed clinical record. However, this is due to the differences in how WHO and Australian regulators analyze data.
He said that the addition of anti-inflammatory medications like tocilizumab and dexamethasone has made a significant difference.
However, I believe that there will be many more treatments for Covid-19 in the future. We want to see an antiviral with high activity that targets Covid-19 that can be taken orally. This would be a very desirable tool that we don't yet have. There is a lot of promising research going on and I believe we will soon have more treatments.
We have made great strides in understanding the progression of the disease. With more people being vaccinated and the addition sotrovimab to the mix, we are making a big difference. We have made great progress in understanding how the disease progresses. With more people vaccinated and the addition of sotrovimab, we are making a lot of progress.
Griffin stated that Covid-19 patients in Australia are now more competent at treating the disease and there are more approved treatments. Griffin also said it was disturbing to hear people advocating unproven treatments like ivermectin. This anti-parasitic medication is only given in controlled clinical trials.
After self-administration of ivermectin by a man, he was taken to hospital in Sydney. The TGA expressed concern about the increased importation and prescriptions of the drug.
Griffin stated that Griffin was aware of the strong push for ivermectin and it is frustrating. It is not a safe medication, and many people use substandard preparations made for animals. This could also mean that people who aren't looking for evidence-based treatment may be less likely than others to seek it.
People want to believe that there was a conspiracy to conceal or withhold effective treatments. However, there are a lot of research going on.
Dr Karen Price, president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said that the attraction to unproven, potentially dangerous treatments is not surprising.
She said that people need a quick solution to anxiety in times of high anxiety.
They might forget about any doubts they may have and fall for false promises made via social media. Or, they could be drawn in by prominent public figures who are doing everything they can to attract attention to their own actions. I wish I could say that ivermectin would protect them against Covid-19, but that is not the case.
She stated that medical treatments require a high level of testing and retesting.
She said that Ivermectin did not meet this standard. Sotrovimab, however, is a new drug that treats Covid-19 and has been subject to the strict safety testing procedures of the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from the virus.
She said that you should tell your family members to get vaccinated, to abide by the Covid-19 restrictions and to remember that your GP can always be reached for assistance. While we won't recommend untested treatments that you see on Facebook, we will provide your Covid-19 vaccine as well as any treatment you need.
