drugstr
Central, NJ
Male, 61
I have worked as a drug discovery scientist for over 30 years performing experiments to help identify novel chemical compounds for their potential in treating diseases in the areas of infection, inflammation and cardiovascular disorders. I have a good familiarity with the entire process from discovery to safety to clinical trials and even marketing. Ask me about the business of Big Pharma. I’m happy to comment on any and all hot-button issues. My opinions are quite often not pro-business.
Sorry for the late response. I believe that taste is not the major driver of appetite. In fact, dulling the senses might encourage further eating. Just my 2 cents.
Share Answer: 
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I hadn't seen this. I'm very familiar with this drug, ivermectin, IVM. It was discovered and developed in the U.S. in the 70's. Its primary use is in animal medicine for the treatment of worms in the GI tract. The Australian discovery is very exciting. They showed that IVM blocks COVID-19 in vitro (petri dish) and clinical trials are underway to test its effectiveness in humans with the disease. From what little I've read, the levels of IVM used in vitro will be difficult to achieve in the blood of patients when dosed orally, the only route of administration currently approved. Nevertheless, it may work at low levels. A successful IV safety study might be worth trying. Time will tell.
Share Answer: 
Millions of people around the world rely on plant-based remedies for treating their ailments and I would never say that they are making a mistake. There's often thousands of years of experience behind this practice. It's well known that a vast number of pharmacological agents originated from biology. I myself prefer only to use the specific compounds derived from these materials for two reasons. First, it avoids the complications that might exist from other components in the material. For example, I wouldn't eat a fungus for the penicillin. And second, I'm confident that the pure drug has been demonstrated to be safe, is appropriate for my condition and is dosed properly for effectiveness. I believe that herbal medicines currently marketed in the US are generally safe, but like other non-FDA approved supplements for weight-loss, BPH, memory, etc. their health claims are dubious. Nevertheless, if it works for you, go ahead and use it.
Share Answer: 
I would say that if these physicians' claims of success in treating COVID-19 patients are accurate then their methods should, indeed, be adopted by others. Having said that, their belief that hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin are the keys to positive outcomes is dubious. There's more to patient care than drugs. Bona fide, well-controlled clinical studies have shown these two to be of no benefit. I'm a little on the fence, however, about zinc. Zinc has a number of roles in biology. The one I'm thinking of is its interaction with protein which can influence tertiary structure (shape) and in so doing interfere with virus binding. As you probably know, zinc is purported to be a remedy for the common cold. Who knows? Maybe there's something there.
Share Answer: 
School Teacher
How do you feel about the idea of year-round schooling?
Starbucks Barista
What's the craziest behind-the-scenes Starbucks story you have?
Audiologist
How come people with hearing aids still can't seem to hear?
Administering convalescent plasma, or for that matter monoclonal anti-covid antibody, is referred to as passive immunity. It will no doubt be useful for patients in whom virus is circulating in the blood stream. This may well be life-saving in these patients, but it would not be expected to prevent infection which is initiated outside of the blood stream. There's more to immunity than antibodies. There's a cellular component which serves to combat invading pathogens by surveillance and direct destruction. It's not clear how important this is for disease protection or whether vaccines will generate this cellular immunity. It's possible that true immunity may only be gained by actual infection and, unfortunately, may not be permanent.
Share Answer: 
This is not a pharma question.No numbers have been changed. Evidently, a CDC report on comorbidities was the source of this misinformation.
Share Answer: 
This is complicated and not really a pharma question. More important than which body part is sampled is what exactly is being measured with each type of test and the reason why you seek testing. If you think you've been exposed wait a couple of days and get the PCR test (nose swab). It is sensitive enough to pick up the virus even before you become infectious to others, sick or asymptomatic. Unfortunately, test results arrive several days later so quarantine until then and hope for a negative. Antigen test - this is the best test if you're actually feeling sick. It's less sensitive than PCR, but if you're truly sick with COVID it will tell you in less than an hour. A rapid, inexpensive, self test based on this technology would be a game changer. Imagine, for example, testing every kid every morning before school. Antibody test - this blood test detects anti-COVID antibodies. A positive indicates that you've had the disease (or in the future, the vaccine). It's not useful for determining if you're sick or infectious because it remains positive long after recovery. It's useful for identifying persons suitable for convalescent plasma donation and possibly indicates some measure of immunity to reinfection.
Share Answer: 
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
