Coronavirus Drugs: Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, and Leronlimab

[Health and Medicine]

 

New Coronavirus (COVID-19) Drugs: Remdesivir, Tocilizumab (Actemra), and Leronlimab | New Coronavirus Treatment Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, and Leronlimab are new medications against Coronavirus (COVID-19) that are being explored. Besides hydroxychloroquine, these are other medications being investigated in the context of a clinical trial and some for compassionate use to treat coronavirus (COVID-19). Remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences Inc., is an investigational broad-spectrum antiviral treatment that was previously tested in humans with Ebola and had shown promise in animal models for treating Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which are caused by other coronaviruses. Currently Gilead Sciences has made Remdesivir available for coronavirus clinical trials and to more than 1800 people on a compassionate use basis. The hope is that the results from the phase 3 clinical trials will be available by the end of May, 2020. Tocilizumab is a monoclonal antibody that competitively inhibits the binding of interleukin-6 (IL-6) to its receptor (IL-6R). And by inhibiting the entire receptor complex, you block the signal to induce more inflammation from coronavirus.

In a recent study from China, researchers noted Tocilizumab appears to be an effective treatment option in COVID‐19 patients with a risk of cytokine storms. And for these critically ill patients with elevated IL‐6, the repeated dose of the Tocilizumab is recommended. Leronlimab, made by the Canadian pharmaceutical Cytodyn, is a CCR5 reecptor inhibitor drug that was developed to treat HIV. The CCR5 receptor stands for “chemokine receptor type 5” and is expressed on t-cells, macrophages and even on breast and prostate cancer cells. By blocking this receptor, the principle is that you are block cytokines that direct cell movement for coronavirus (COVID-19). And by blocking the movement, you don’t bring immune cells to the site of infection from coronavirus (COVID-19), thus decreasing the risk of a cytokine storm. While there are many more drugs still in the pipeline to treatment COVID-19, these are the new drugs I feel have the most promise and are moving along to phase 3 clinical trials and onto the consumer market.

- Dr. Yo.