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Dr. Thomas Kline, MD, PhD: Medical Myths Revealed SAFE PRESCRIBING– THE GOVERNMENTS VIEW
Posted on February 15, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
The assumption is feckless doctors not knowing what they are doing have overprescirbed and this has caused more overdose deaths and addiction so CDC has told us what to do, to make it safe and cut down on these problems.
It did not work. Deaths are up. Addiction is the same as always.
But millions of very tragic consequences have occurred with people forcibly discontinued from the the control of their permanent painful diseases to solve the Heroin multidrug overdose problems, Ask CDC who exactly is dying and why they separated multidrugs to make it look like it was prescription drugs- a terrible mistake,
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I want it “my way”
Posted on February 15, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
This Burger King commercial was very popular at a time when our daughter was in early grade school… you know when a parent can “easily embarrass” kids in this age group… I use to sing along with the commercial modifying the end of the commercial “NAKED BURGERS DON’T UPSET US !”
Every week, I get contacted by chronic pain pts … typically concerning their inability to get their pain management medication. Sometimes it is denied by their insurance/PBM company, sometimes it is the pharmacy that they have patronized for years, sometimes it is their doctor.
In this country we are use to patronizing where/whom we wish to purchase products/services from. When I started working in a pharmacy as a pharmacy student (1967), there was no DEA, no PBM/drug cards, bank charge cards were in their infancy. There was a Federal Narcotic Bureau that only dealt with Opiates, that were not prescribed in quanities as they are today. Transaction at the Rx counter was CASH or STORE CHARGE The physician that we use, when I was a kid, was paid in CASH for a office visit.
The vast majority of pts that reach out to me, want me to tell them how they can make “them” prescribe, fill, or paid for their prescription. When the Pharmacist tells the pt that “they are not comfortable”… that is not a valid reason.. that is an EXCUSE. When the Pharmacist tell the pt that they are “out of stock” or they have a order coming arriving in a few days and when the pt returns in a few days and is told that “supplier didn’t send the medication” .. is most likely a LIE.
Often the best – quickest – way to get a resolution is to switch providers…. if you are on Medicare/Medicaid you can file a complaint by calling 800- MEDICARE… you may or may not get resolution, but the more pts that complain about a vendor the more likely the dollars that they are reimbursed will be reduced and they can have their “star rating” reduced.
If you are going to file a complaint against a medical practitioner or Pharmacist/pharmacy… some states let pts file the complaint directly with the AG office and may eliminate the particular board from “filing” the complaint and no really doing anything about the pt’s complaint. These medical boards only have “legal authority” over the practitioner’s license, everything else is handled by the state’s AG office.
Do not expect anything to be done promptly from a complaint to the medical licensing board and/or AG’s office… normally action/response takes 6 to 24 months.
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How Deadly Is the U.K. Variant?
Posted on February 14, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
How Deadly Is the U.K. Variant?
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/91202
Updated analyses support worse clinical outcomes
Evidence continues to mount that the so-called U.K. variant is “likely” deadlier and results in more hospitalizations than non-variant COVID-19 cases, according to data released on a British government website.
The report compiled research from major universities and studies and found “increased severity” of COVID-19 cases from the B.1.1.7 variant compared to “non-variants of concern,” with B.1.1.7 cases anywhere from 30% to 70% deadlier than the original wild-type strain.
These concerns were initially raised in January, when the British government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) presented initial data, suggesting cases with B.1.1.7 were likely deadlier than non-variant cases, but they noted then that “data will accrue in coming weeks, at which time the analyses will become more definitive.”
The report detailed why these updated analyses were indeed more definitive, noting earlier reports using linked community testing and mortality data were all based on the same datasets, and thus the same biases.
“More recent analyses have added a wider range of data sets and been able to control for additional confounders, increasing confidence in the association of the [variant of concern] with increased disease severity,” they wrote.
Of note, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found a relative hazard of death within 28 days was 1.58 (95% CI 1.40.1.79) for variant-infected individuals versus non-variant-infected individuals, while Imperial College London found the mean ratio of case fatality for variant cases was 1.36 with a case-control weighting method.
Public Health England performed a matched cohort analysis, and found a “death risk ratio” of 1.65 (95% CI 1.21-2.25) for variant individuals versus non-variant individuals.
Several other studies examined the effect of the variant on hospitalization, with Public Health Scotland using the S-gene target failure as a proxy to determine variant cases. They found risk of hospitalization was higher among S-gene target failure cases versus S-gene positive cases (risk ratio 1.63, 95% CI 1.48-1.80). Research from Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) and QRESEARCH also found a higher risk of ICU admission for variant versus non-variant cases (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.25-1.67).
However, the consensus was not unanimous, and the government included data from COVID-19 Clinical Information Network (CO-CIN), which found no evidence suggesting variants are linked with higher in-hospital case fatality rates. An analysis from Office for National Statistics (ONS) noted that while the hazard ratio suggested higher risk of all-cause mortality, “the number of deaths are too low for reliable inference.”
The report also noted several limitations to the data, including representativeness, power, potential biases in case ascertainment, unmeasured confounders, and secular trends. They added that the majority of studies tried to control for confounding by nursing home status, but there was a potential for residual confounding due to unidentified nursing home residence in hospital datasets.
“There are potential limitations in all datasets used but together these analyses indicate that it is likely that … B.1.1.7 is associated with an increased risk of [hospitalization] and death compared to infection with non-[B.1.1.7] viruses,” the authors concluded.
CDC modeling in mid-January estimated the U.K. variant would become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. by the end of March. Another recent modeling study suggested incidence of variant cases are doubling every 10 days in this country.
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Chain Pharmacy Greed is Damaging the COVID-19 Immunization Program, And Increasing Prescription Errors!
Posted on February 12, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
Chain Pharmacy Greed is Damaging the COVID-19 Immunization Program, And Increasing Prescription Errors!
https://pharmacistactivist.com/2021/February_2021.shtml
The efforts to develop, distribute, and administer COVID-19 vaccines are a race against time in reducing the number of deaths and other consequences. Problems have and will continue to occur, but some are preventable. The federal government awarded huge contracts to CVS and Walgreens to immunize residents of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in deals that are potentially so lucrative that one financial analyst estimated that CVS could make $1billion in gross profits over the next year. Although CVS and Walgreens moved very quickly to obtain the federal contracts, they have not given the same priority to distributing and administering the vaccines on a timely basis. Their greed and management failures have resulted in chaos in their programs and substantial delays in providing life-protecting immunizations for the most vulnerable patients in nursing homes. Their ineptitude in providing adequate staffing and resources, and adequate workplace protections for their pharmacists and other front-line employees must not be tolerated. Now you can get medicines and essentials like La Roche-Posay Ireland get delivered online. You might also be familiar with other cosmetic products online like the inkey list.
News releases from CVS and Walgreens have stated that they are hiring tens of thousands of new employees (pharmacists, technicians, etc), the vast majority of whom are technicians. The lack of commitment and respect of CVS for its pharmacists is evident in its advertisement: “Staff Pharmacist Floater Part-time Temporary Seasonal Jobs Hiring.” To be completely clear, this commentary is NOT a criticism of the front-line pharmacists and other employees at CVS and Walgreens. Rather it is directed at management that is responsible for the understaffed, stressful workplace environment that often does not provide sufficient protections for its employees, and increases the risk of vaccine and medication errors.
There has been an avalanche of social media posts and news stories that are highly critical of CVS and Walgreens. Examples include the following:
“Pharmacists work in fear of making mistakes, retaliation, and accusations of not following policy.”
“Leaked emails reveal CVS district leader instructed pharmacy staff not to tell patients their medications were filled by someone who tested positive for COVID-19.” (Irene Jiang; Business Insider).
“Leave it to corporate to expect us to scramble to fix their ineptitude.”
“Thousands of vulnerable people in those states’ (NJ, PA) highest priority group – people who live in nursing homes and assisted living facilities – are still waiting for shots. They are part of a federal program that gave pharmacy giants CVS and Walgreens the responsibility of going from facility to facility to give shots. So far, that program, which began vaccinating nursing home residents and staff on Dec. 28, has used only about 16% of allocated doses in Philadelphia and 14.5% in New Jersey, according to health department data.” (Stacy Burling; The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 25, 2021).
A great program in W. Virginia
“W. Virginia a vaccine success story,” is the title of a recent news story (Cuneyt Dil; Associated Press/The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 18, 2021). It provides an inspiring account of the excellent leadership and immunization services of the independent pharmacists in West Virginia Excerpts are provided below:
“Griffith & Feil Drug has been in business since 1892, a family-owned, small-town pharmacy. This isn’t their first pandemic. (Pharmacist Ric Griffith is the owner who is featured in the story).
More than a century after helping West Virginians confront the Spanish flu in 1918, the drugstore in Kenova, a community of about 3,000 people, is helping the state lead the nation in COVID-19 distribution.
West Virginia has emerged as an unlikely success in the nation’s otherwise chaotic vaccine rollout, largely because of the state’s decision to reject a federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens and instead enlist mom-and-pop pharmacies to vaccinate residents against the virus.
More shots have gone into people’s arms per capita across West Virginia than in any other state, with at least 7.5% of the population receiving the first of two shots, according to federal data.
West Virginia was the first in the nation to finish offering first doses to all long-term care centers before the end of December, and the state expects to give second doses at those facilities by the end of January.”
Congratulations and thank you to the pharmacists, government officials, and residents of West Virginia! This is a wonderful example for those of us living in the other 49 states to emulate!
Daniel A. Hussar
danandsue3@verizon.net
danandsue3@verizon.net
Addendum
I wrote this editorial on Tuesday, February 2. Soon after I completed it, I looked at today’s issue of the Wall Street Journal and the story, “Retailers To Take Key Role in Vaccine,” (Sharon Terlep and Jaewon Kang; pB1). It includes the following comments:
“Some of America’s biggest retailers are preparing to take a central role in administering COVID-19 shots, hoping to avoid logjams and other complications that have slowed the vaccine rollout’s early days.”
“The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aims to make them available in local pharmacies beginning next month.”
“The job of vaccinating swaths of the population will fall largely on retail pharmacies, with companies such as CVS Health Corp.,Walgreens-Boots Alliance Inc., Walmart Inc. and Kroger Co, saying they are prepared to give tens of millions shots a month.”
CVS and Walgreens were entrusted with this responsibility already and they failed. They can’t be trusted to do it right this time and they should not be permitted to participate. Our national pharmacy associations must send a strong message to the CDC promoting the West Virginia experience in using independent pharmacies. Pharmacists should do the same with their legislators and state health departments. Like West Virginia, other states should reject the federal partnership with chain pharmacies and work with their independent pharmacists who know so many of the residents of their communities.
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Healthcare profits and all the middlemen
Posted on February 12, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
You stop contributing to society at 75 ?
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel who was part of the committee that put ACA (Obamacare) together came out in 2014 and stated that everyone should just stop all health/medical treatments and save our society a LOT OF MONEY… become less of a “taker” and hopefully you will just die and society will not have to support your existence on earth.
Insulin In Canada cost 10% of the USA price… Insurance/PBM industry is the reason but the Pharma industry gets the blame
Trump’s Executive Orders Will Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable
Trump’s four executive orders to lower drug prices: What to know
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2.5 Tons of Methamphetamine and 100,000 Fentanyl Pills Interdicted/seized by DEA
Posted on February 11, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
2.5 Tons of Methamphetamine and 100,000 Fentanyl Pills Interdicted/seized by DEA
Two Mexican Drug Traffickers Charged out of the Southern District of New York with Conspiring to Import Large Quantities of Narcotics into the United States
NEW YORK – Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration New York Division, Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of Homeland Security Investigations, and Dermot Shea, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, announced that Jose Loreto Gastelum-Torres and Fredy Alejandro Gastelum-Vega were charged in a criminal complaint in Manhattan federal court with conspiring to import approximately 2.5 tons of methamphetamine and 100,000 fentanyl pills into the United States. The charge arises from a January 29, 2021 seizure by Mexico’s Secretaría de Marina (the “Mexican Navy”) of approximately 2.5 tons of methamphetamine and 100,000 fentanyl pills in Sinaloa, Mexico.
“There is a tidal wave of fentanyl and methamphetamine being pushed from Mexico into the United States,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan. “Case in point, these two traffickers were allegedly caught red-handed with over $90 million dollars’ worth of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Traffickers see opportunities when drug overdoses rise, and they are trying to flood American markets with these synthetic, highly addictive, and dangerous drugs. DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to target drug networks to keep Americans safe and save lives.”
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Thanks to the DEA, HSI, the NYPD, and the rest of our OCDETF New York Strike Force partners, as well as the Mexican Navy, a major shipment of potentially lethal drugs was interdicted before it could addict, poison, and potentially kill untold numbers of people in the United States.”
“Those arrested allegedly sought to traffic thousands of fentanyl pills and multiple tons of methamphetamine, which would only exacerbate the plague currently devastating our community while steadily increasing addictions and overdose deaths,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh. “The Strike Force has been a proven model for success in dismantling transnational narcotics trafficking organizations. HSI showcased our unique value at the Strike Force in this case by leveraging our border resources to not only effectively address threats and vulnerabilities but moreover promote collaboration in furthering these investigations, making timely and significant arrests, and stopping deadly drugs from flooding our streets.”
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said: “Today’s charges demonstrate that the investigative efforts of the NYPD in coordination with our law enforcement partners are far-reaching and focused. As long as individuals, wherever they may be, are involved in illegal narcotics trafficking, the NYPD and our partners will relentlessly work to end the threat to public safety. I commend and thank the NYPD investigators, members of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force Initiative, agents from the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the attorneys at the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District, for their dedication to this investigation.
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed in federal court[1]:
On or about January 29, 2021, the Mexican Navy located and began tracking an outboard‑powered boat traveling from Las Arenitas, Sinaloa, Mexico, northwest through the Gulf of California. Approximately several hours later, the Mexican Navy interdicted the vessel in or around Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Mexico, and arrested Gastelum-Torres and Gastelum-Vega. Mexican Navy officers seized approximately 960 plastic containers from the boat, which contained approximately 2.5 tons of methamphetamine and 100,000 pills of fentanyl.
Gastelum-Torres, 53, and Gastelum-Vega, 33, of Mexico, are charged with conspiring to import at least 500 grams of methamphetamine and at least 400 grams of fentanyl into the United States, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants would be determined by the judge.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
This investigation was conducted by the OCDETF New York Strike Force in partnership with the DEA’s law enforcement partners. The OCDETF New York Strike Force is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies supported by OCDETF and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The Strike Force is affiliated with the DEA’s New York Division and includes agents and officers of the DEA; the New York City Police Department; the New York State Police; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; the U. S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Secret Service; the U.S. Marshals Service; New York National Guard; the Clarkstown Police Department; U.S. Coast Guard; Port Washington Police Department; and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the OCDETF New York Strike Force and Mexico’s Secretaría de Marina.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Li, Benjamin Woodside Schrier, and Kyle A. Wirshba are in charge of the prosecution.
The charge contained in the Complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Probably just ONE OF SEVERAL such illegal drugs that come into our country EVERY DAY. My money is on …. the DEA just “got lucky” this day – right place… right time ?
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Imagine this Biden now contradicts some of his statements on the campaign trail
Posted on February 11, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
Imagine this Biden now contradicts some of his statements on the campaign trail
President Biden warned that China will “eat our lunch” on Thursday after speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time Wednesday night since becoming president – a sentiment that seemed to contradict some of his statements on the campaign trail.
“Last night I was on the phone with for two straight hours with Xi Jinping,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office. “It was a good conversation, I know him well, we spent a lot of time together over the years I was vice president, but if we don’t get moving, they’re going to eat our lunch. They have major, major new initiatives on rail, they already have rail that goes 325 miles per hour with ease. They are working very hard to do what I think we’re gonna have to do.”
“The auto industry is already there. So is labor. They’re working very hard to try to move in a position where they end up being the source of a new way in which to power automobiles, which they’re going to invest a lot of money. They’re investing billions of dollars in dealing with a whole range of issues that relate to transportation and the environment … so we just have to step up,” Biden continued.
Biden’s comments on Thursday seemed in direct opposition to his position in 2019.
“China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man!” Biden said at a rally in 2019.
He was critical of former President Donald Trump’s tariff battle with China.
In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the annual Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing. (Huang Jingwen/Xinhua via AP) (AP)
“The president has done nothing but increase the tariffs, the debt and the trade deficit. The way we have to proceed is we have to have our allies with us. It’s not just us. We have to keep the world together,” Biden said in 2019.
In a statement Wednesday night, the White House said Biden “shared his greetings and well wishes with the Chinese people on the occasion of Lunar New Year.”
“President Biden affirmed his priorities of protecting the American people’s security, prosperity, health and way of life, and preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the White House said. “President Biden underscored his fundamental concerns about Beijing’s coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan.”
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Many supposed breast cancer risk genes don’t raise risk, studies find
Posted on February 11, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
Many supposed breast cancer risk genes don’t raise risk, studies find
In the quarter century since the watershed discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2, dozens of other genes have been implicated in hereditary breast cancer.
A slew of commercial tests are now available that look for mutations in those breast cancer “predisposition genes” to help guide health-care decisions.
The thing is, some of the genes barely nudge cancer risk. Even BRCA1/2, dreaded as time bombs, can have harmless DNA variations, or variants that haven’t been studied enough to be classified.
Two ambitious analyses of breast cancer risk genes — a U.S. study that included the University of Pennsylvania, and a British-led international study — help to clarify which ones warrant risk-management strategies, such as increased screening or preventive surgeries, and which ones are probably inconsequential.
» READ MORE: With BRCA genetic testing on rise, insurers balk
Both analyses, published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, used previous population-based studies to figure out which faulty genes confer a susceptibility, and how common the flaws are in women in general. The U.S. study looked for changes in 28 genes in 32,000 women with breast cancer diagnoses and an equally large “control” group without cancer. The international study evaluated 34 genes in 60,500 breast cancer cases and an equal number of women without cancer.
But the results for a much bigger alphabet soup of genes were ambiguous, or insignificant. Sixteen genes in the U.S. study and 22 in the international study were not tied to susceptibility to the disease.
The U.S. study detected harmful genetic variants in 5% of breast cancer cases and 1.6% of women in the control group. Studies of high-risk women have estimated that 7% to 10% of all breast cancers are due to inherited mutations.
The work “shows us a clearer picture of risk and genetic drivers for women in the general population who don’t fall under the high-risk category,” said Susan M. Domchek, executive director of Penn’s Basser Center for BRCA and an author of the U.S. study, led by the Mayo Clinic.
Ellen Matloff, a certified genetic counselor and founder of My Gene Counsel, which provides programs to increase access to counseling, said the new research illustrates the complexity of interpreting genetic test results, especially as test panels add genes for which evidence is scant.
“A lot of practitioners think ‘the more genes in the panel, the better,’ ” Matloff said. “This paper shows more genes can add to confusion. People can be advised to have unnecessary surgeries and screening. We’ve had patients with late diagnoses because they were told they were not at risk when they were.”
Indeed, in a recent case study published by Precision Oncology News in collaboration with My Gene Counsel, a 42-year-old woman received incorrect advice about two breast cancer risk genes both of them part of the new population-based studies.
The woman’s case began with a suspicious mammogram, followed by a breast biopsy that found no sign of cancer. Despite the good news, her breast surgeon ordered genetic testing because three members of her extended family died of pancreatic cancer.
Her PALB2 gene had a “variant of unknown significance” — meaning more study is needed to classify it as harmless or disease-related. Her surgeon told her not to worry about it.
PALB2 mutations were linked to a moderately increased risk of breast cancer in the new studies.
She also had an alteration in RAD50, a gene with such a limited breast cancer link that expert guidelines do not recommend considering extra screening or preventive surgeries.
The new population-based studies found RAD50 was not linked at all to increased breast cancer risk.
The surgeon, however, advised his patient to remove both healthy breasts because of the RAD50 variant.
That drastic elective surgery was scuttled because of the pandemic, giving her time to consult a genetic counselor. The patient ultimately opted for increased screening — because of the PALB2 variant her surgeon had brushed aside.
Matloff acknowledges her bias, but having written journal articles compiling such cases, she believes patients must have access, at least by phone or video, to professionals who can advise them and their families.
“There are calls by some prominent scientists that we should be testing all women for breast cancer genes. But data shows breast surgeons and others really struggle to interpret very straightforward results. Now, there are test results that are very nuanced.
“Doctors are very busy and the field is changing rapidly,” she continued. “Insurance companies should and must cover genetic counseling.”
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Israeli COVID cure? Researchers hope peptide treatment could slow disease
Posted on February 10, 2021 by Pharmaciststeve
Israeli COVID cure? Researchers hope peptide treatment could slow disease
The trial is being run by Ziv and Rambam medical centers with researchers from Bar-Ilan University and Technion Institute of Science.
A pulmonary alveolus
(photo credit: CREATIVE COMMONS)
A group of Israeli researchers have launched a Phase II study of a drug that they believe could keep patients off mechanical ventilation and speed their recovery.
The trial, which is being collectively run by Ziv and Rambam medical centers with researchers from Bar-Ilan University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, is examining the use of a drug based on a naturally occurring peptide called angiotensin 1-7 to help counter the impact of COVID-19 on the lungs.
A peptide is a set of amino acids.
Coronavirus enters a person’s cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. These same receptors produce angiotensin 1-7, explained Dr. Karl Skorecki, dean of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University in the Galilee. Angiotensin 1-7 is a protein that is naturally produced in the body and is responsible for preventing cell proliferation and inflammation.
“When the enzyme is busy acting as a receptor, it can no longer do what it is supposed to do, which is make angiotensin 1-7,” Skorecki said. “The hope is that by replenishing this peptide, their lungs will get back what the virus nefariously took away from them.”
Around 3% of all people who contract coronavirus in Israel are hospitalized, and many do not respond to what have become traditional steroid or antiviral drug treatments.
The trial is using TXA127, a pharmaceutical formulation of angiotensin 1-7 developed by the US company Constant Therapeutics LLC.
The CEO of the company, Rick Franklin, said that “I am proud of my Jewish roots and of partnering with Rambam, Ziv, Bar-Ilan and the Technion, which are world-renowned institutions.”
Because the protein is a biological substance, the likelihood of it causing side effects is low, according to Skorecki.
The Phase II trial was approved by the Health Ministry and will involve 120 hospitalized COVID-19 patients whose condition is defined as moderate. Sixty patients will receive the treatment and 60 a placebo.
So far, more than a dozen patients have enrolled in the trial.
The idea to test angiotensin 1-7 was generated by the Technion’s Prof. Zaid Abassi.
“I thought if there was a decrease in this enzyme in the body, maybe external administration of the protein would prevent the complications caused by coronavirus, with an emphasis on improving lung damage,” Abassi explained. “Once the idea came up, a race against the clock began.”
Skorecki said the hope is that the trial will be completed in the next two to four months.
Coronavirus mutations would not affect the effectiveness of treatment, according to Rambam’s Dr. Etty Kruzel.
“We are so confident in the results that [Constant Therapeutics] is already recruiting partners to prepare for global manufacturing and distribution.”
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