Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving into the health care arena and helping to streamline medical processes — including the creation of new drugs. Insilico Medicine, an AI-driven biotech company based in Hong Kong and in New York City, recently announced that its new AI-designed drug for COVID-19 has entered Phase […]
variants
What COVID-19 variants are going around in May 2023?
Get the latest COVID-19 news from infectious diseases expert Mark Rupp, MD, including COVID-19 case rates, types of variants circulating and vaccine updates. There are currently more than 11,037 cases reported in the United States per day, with test positivity of 5.3%. When test positivity is above 5%, transmission is […]
New COVID drug appears to guard against all variants in people with weak immune systems
A new antibody drug to help fight COVID-19 infection in immune-compromised people may be available by the end of the year. AstraZeneca said Thursday that its treatment, called AZD3152, appears to work in all variants to date, potentially providing necessary armor for immunocompromised people whose vaccinations have not given them […]
A new class of drugs could prevent resistant COVID-19 variants, study finds
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The constant evolution of new COVID-19 variants makes it critical for clinicians to have multiple therapies in their arsenal for treating drug-resistant infections. Researchers have now discovered that a new class of oral drugs that acts directly on human cells can inhibit a diverse range of […]
FDA withdraws emergency use authorization of COVID drug because it is unlikely to be effective against new variants
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it is withdrawing its emergency use authorization of a COVID-19 antibody therapy as a prevention tool because it is unlikely to be effective against variants that are currently circulating. Evusheld, which is made by British-Swedish pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, AstraZeneca, was first […]
Off-Patent Liver Disease Drug Could Stop COVID-19 and Protect Against Future Variants
Researchers at Cambridge University have found that a previously existing, off-patent medication may be effective in preventing COVID-19 and potentially guarding against future variants of the virus. The discovery was made through a combination of experiments using mini-organs, donor organs, animal studies, and patient data. Unique experiments involved ‘mini-organs’, […]
Breakthrough! Receptor “Decoy” Drug Neutralizes COVID-19 Virus Including Omicron and Other Variants
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have created a powerful drug that can effectively neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, including the Omicron variant and all other tested variants. The innovative design of the drug allows it to remain effective against future variants, even if the virus undergoes natural selection to maintain its […]
Drug that targets ACE2 receptors may work against new covid variants
A drug that is approved for treating gallstones and liver conditions inhibits cells’ ACE2 receptors, which the coronavirus’ spike protein binds to Health 5 December 2022 By Carissa Wong The omicron coronavirus variant binding to a cell’s ACE2 receptor DESIGN CELLS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Alamy A drug that targets the coronavirus’ entry […]
New coronavirus variants made monoclonal antibody drugs ineffective
No more monoclonal antibody treatments for Covid are available in the U.S.: The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday rescinded its authorization of bebtelovimab, a drug previously given to patients who faced a high risk of severe disease. Over the last two years, the FDA authorized six monoclonal antibody treatments […]
A COVID treatment wanes: New variants outsmart most monoclonal antibodies : Shots
Antonio Rapuano got an infusion of a monoclonal antibody to treat his COVID in Albano, Italy in 2021. Such infusions have been effective treatments for COVID during the pandemic, but doctors are now finding that most monoclonal antibodies no longer work against new variants of SARS-CoV-2. Yara Nardi/Reuters hide caption […]