Posted on 04/24/2020 5:59:24 AM PDT by JayGalt
Key points:
• 83% survival in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients (10/12) with moderate/severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treated with two infusions of Mesoblast’s allogeneic cell therapy remestemcel-L within the first five days under emergency compassionate use at New York City’s Mt Sinai hospital during the period March-April 2020
• 75% (9/12) have successfully come off ventilator support within a median of 10 days• These results contrast with only 9% of ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients being able to come off ventilators with standard of care treatment and only 12% survival in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients at two major referral hospital networks in New York during the same time period
• This compassionate use treatment experience has informed the design of the clinical protocol for the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2/3 trial of remestemcel-L in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 moderate/severe ARDS patients across North America
(Excerpt) Read more at investorsmedia.mesoblast.com ...
Mesoblast Chief Medical Officer Dr Fred Grossman said: “There is a significant need to improve the dismal survival outcomes in COVID-19 patients who progress to ARDS and require ventilators. We have implemented robust statistical analyses in our Phase 2/3 trial as recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to maximize our ability to evaluate whether remestemcel-L provides a survival benefit in moderate/severe COVID-19 ARDS.”
This is a promising therapy for the sickest patients who have hitherto had few options.
Stem cells derived from human bone marrow in case anyone was wondering like I was.
Interesting. The rational of this drug is the theory that the big “cytokine storm” is the coup de grace in severely ill respiratory failure patients with COVID-19. These patients are being drowned by their own immunological response to this virus. Also interesting that during the Spanish Flu it was the younger patients who became seriously ill and died. It was thought that young people had a robust immune system and it was the cytokine storm that killed them. Older people got the flu but tended to recover from the acute illness. It was thought their immune systems were not quite as robust. Of course with COVID-19 young people seem to be spared or recover, elderly people are most vulnerable. Its a bit paradoxical.
There is an immense amount still to be learned about this virus.
This therapy sounds promising as we have thousands of covid patients being kept alive on ventilators who will not otherwise survive.
Rather costly, why not use induced pluripotent stem cells from the patient’s own body? Or is extraction too risky with the patient in a delicate state?
There was a similar report out of China during their surge and the Israelis have been using placentally derived cells with similarly good reports. Certain types of stem cells do seem to help with the cytokine storm that is killing people late. Although something that worked earlier in the disease process (HCQ etc.?) would be better yet.
The study assumes younger people have a better immune system than we older folks and I feel they have it completely backwards. Most of us older folks have caught many virus’s in our life and it was a time when people didn’t go to doctors to treat it. We’ve developed an immune system over time and I suspect ours is far stronger than many of the younger adults. Anymore if a child shows symptoms of anything if of to the doctor where antibiotics flow like a river, and the child recovers and everybody’s happy. When we get into a pattern like that, how is the child able to develop a proper or strong immune system. Throw in the fact that many of us are Veterans who remember the shot line. It’s where you’re stripped to your waist and walk a gauntlet of shot’s that you don’t have a clue what’s in them. Your only goal is to make it through without being that one person who passes out. I dare to say that the immunity system of many of the Boomers is stronger than the next generation. Do we pass on that immunity to our children?
Life expectancy was much less a century ago. Maybe their 'old' folks didn't yet have immunosenescence, but today's 'old' folks do and so respond differently.
Ventilators where killing COVID 19 patients wholesale (because the virus built up liquid in lungs). Double the rate of that of normal patients that go on ventilators (under 40% to over 80%).
There were other less intrusive methods to keep these patients alive other immediately throwing them on ventilators. Massive medical mistake in the first place. Likely cause 30% of the death-rate in New York.
Now we find out New York was sending COVID 19 positive patients back into nursing homes. It appears likely 50% of the deaths were due to stupidity.
Good point. When this is studied in retrospect , it will be interesting to see how those who have had multiple vaccinations over their lives will have done compared to those who shunned vaccines. It just might be the case that their was cross immunity to COVID-19 in some of the antigens used in those yearly flu vaccines. That immunity does no go away and the immunological response will activate when confronted with an antigen it has seen in the past.
However make no mistake. This is a terribly virulent virus. It may be that it behaves like Hepatitis C. The virus nucleic acid incorporates itself in the host’s genome and a chronic, indolent debilitating infection persists in the genetically susceptible. Humoral antibodies may be present but the PCR stays active. While Hepatitis C virus targets the liver, COVID-19 may target the lungs. Hopefully that speculation is entirely wrong.
Doesnt this stuff scar the lungs? once you get it you will never be 100% again? Life emay be * suck *suck * suck after you recover.
Thank you. I was.
no ventilators are not killing covid patients. They are saving lives.
It is not a terribly virulent virus. Over half of people have no symptoms at all and the vast majority of the rest get the sniffles Ebola is a terribly virulent virus. this one not so much
Our immune systems have been exposed to more but young people’s immune systems mount a more vigorous response
A lot of different versions, seems like a ventilator
That is operating with too high a pressure is
Causing a lot of damage.
Combined with medical staff that not be
Adequately trained in their use can be a
Real problem
Lots of different opinions, unfortunately it
Will cost lives to figure it out
In a small number of people there may be enough scarring that they notice some decrease in lung function. The vast majority of even critically ill patients should recover fully if they survive
The toll this virus is taking is immense. Can only think of one thing Chis Cuomo said that is true. You simply do not want to get this virus. True some have relatively mild symptoms and a relatively benign clinical course, but there is a subset in the population that is suffering and dying in an unprecedented manner and numbers. Even in the worst flu season cannot remember ICUs so full of patients on respirators, and refrigerated trucks being used to store the dead.
Hey since you buy into everything I suggest you look around for a bridge to buy. I hear the Brooklyn Bridge might be up.
Please, nobody tell Trump.
If he mentions this treatment, democRat commissars all over the country will outlaw it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.