In a recent turn of events, two coronavirus (COVID-19) patients located in New York City have just been treated with a new drug that was 'fast-tracked' for HIV as well as breast cancer.
The results have been based on a small initial trial, but a biotech firm called CytoDyn strongly believes in the potential of their drug called leronlimab to be used in potential treatment.
The drug's effectiveness
Due to the recent results, biotech firm CytoDyn believed that its drug leronlimab has an ability to cure patients with coronavirus. The said drug has been tested to only seven critically patients. Fortunately, and two of them are now ventilator-free while two others are showing progress from the inflammation sending their lungs into potential organ failure. With that, the biotech firm is optimistic about the ability of its drug that it can defeat the 'cytokine storm,' a deluge of immune cells that can even be as harmful as the infection itself
The medicine used against the COVID-19
Currently, there are no approved treatments for the pandemic, but CytoDyn's very own drug has been considered one of the latest potential solutions. The growing number of infected in America has reached the six-digit mark with 100,000 victims, and if the drug is able to show data successfully, an FDA approval could be on its way in only a matter of at least six weeks.
Being able to develop a drug that specifically targets the coronavirus itself involves time and money, which are both on the short end of the supply when it comes to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists among universities, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), are all racing towards testing existing drugs as well as developing new drugs that could successfully counter the coronavirus, which has already killed even more than 1,500 Americans.
Leronlimab's success and effectiveness against the true killing COVID-19
Recent trials have shown leronlimab's success in treating HIV, but scientists from CytoDyn believe that the drug could be beneficial for coronavirus patients aside from an antiviral one.
In an article by Dailymail, it was stated that "What's killing coronavirus patients is a complication of the virus: pneumonia." It only shows a deeper look into the cause of death instead of just the virus as a whole.
The specific harm that the virus causes to the body
Scientists have narrowed down that the virus finds its way to lung cells resulting in the immune system putting up a fight even though the necessary antibodies specific for this coronavirus have not yet been ready.
The effects of the Cytokines are to tell the body's immune system to send a swarm of chemicals from the white blood cells to fight the infection, which causes inflammation.
Once the inflammation starts to get out of control, and the body fluids start to fill the alveoli inside the lungs, the patient then starts to develop pneumonia.
When inflammation gets out of control, and fluid starts to fill the alveoli in the lungs, a patient develops pneumonia.
