JAPAN
Japan’s PM pushes his country’s Avigan drug as treatment for coronavirus despite no evidence it works and admitting it has side effects ‘the same as thalidomide’
Avigan is the brand name for favipiravir and has been used in flu outbreaks and the treatment of Ebola. Approved for use in Japan in 2014, favipiravir works by blocking the ability of a virus to replicate inside a cell.
However, it has been shown in animal studies to affect foetal development, meaning it is not given to pregnant women, and some doctors say they would not recommend it for children or adolescents.
And experts are increasingly concerned by Abe’s promotion of the drug. He has backed the drug to the tune of $130 million to treble an existing stockpile and has even offered to provide it to other countries for free...
...There are currently around five clinical trials ongoing in countries including the US, Italy and Japan, where Fujifilm announced it would be testing the drug’s efficacy on a group of 100 patients through until the end of June.
MedCram Lecture
May 5
Dr. Roger Seheult
Coronavirus Pandemic Update 66: ACE-Inhibitors and ARBs - Hypertension Medications with COVID-19
Dr. Seheult discusses three studies regarding the impact of the hypertension medication classes of ACE Inhibitors (such as lisinopril) and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs such as valsartan) on COVID-19 infection and severity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OudhmwulJHY