The vaccine trial funded by the government to test an antibody treatment against Covid-19 has recently halted due to safety concern (according to the mail sent by the government officials to researchers). Earlier to their confirmation on the pause, Johnson & Johnson halted its vaccine trial against COVID-19 because of a sick volunteer. Besides, AstraZeneca’s also paused its vaccine trial as two participants fell ill after injecting the vaccine. However, the issues that forced the scientist to stop the vaccine trial for a while remains unclear.
On the other hand, reports on anti-ageing drugs to help in fighting COVID-19 are coming into light. The term immunosenescence implies to the old age of the human body in which hearing slowly weakens, saggy skin, joint pain and robustness in immune responses fade. And this is where the real trouble begins with the older age groups contracting COVID-19. The fact that often vaccines trigger the immune system weakly in older people. It is a well-known fact that immune systems in older people are vulnerable to infection and make frail vaccine responses.
Researchers have identified a class of anti-ageing drug that possibly could boost a better response to the flu vaccines and have fewer infections. The drug inhibits a protein known as mTOR involved in pathways of cell growth. Earlier laboratory-based studies have shown that the inhibition of mTOR resulted in the extension of lifespan among in animal models such as fruit flies and mice. Apart from anti-ageing drugs, the drug metformin used for type 2 diabetes also affects mTOR’s activity. A China-based study reports that the mortality rate was lower (2.9%) among hospitalized COVID-19 individuals taking metformin than individuals not on metformin which is (12.3%).
Keeping all the hopes and hypes aside and going into the facts, the World Health Organization has revealed results from the world's largest randomized control trial for coronavirus treatments. The study found that drugs like remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, and interferon have no effect on the mortality rate among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The study included 405 hospitals across the globe covering 30 countries.
Interestingly, Gilead study shows reduced mortality (statistically non-significant in reducing death rates) among patients receiving oxygen support.
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