Not only Vaccine against Covid 19. Experimentation on humans for an effective treatment, a drug that can fight the symptoms and pathologies related to the disease, is very soon. The green light comes from AIFA, the Italian drug agency. Furthermore, the experimentation is not foreign, but directly involves Italy. And above all one of the most important Italian hospitals that have played a decisive role in the fight against Coronavirus.
Experimentation through a specific drug
The clinical study authorized by the Italian Medicines Agency will therefore involve Italy. The drug builds a product a raloxifene base. It will be used for the treatment of patients with Covid-19 but who have few symptoms. The trial authorization is aimed at assessing the safety and efficacy of the medicinal product.
The involvement of Spallanzani of Rome in the experimentation
And once again the IRCSS Lazzaro Spallanzani of Rome and the IRCSS Humanitas of Milan will be responsible for the tests for the experimentation of this drug. Spallanzani, in particular, was in the front row during the most difficult months of the pandemic, in the treatment and assistance of the most serious patients. The Italian trial will involve 450 patients. They will be given gods for seven days drugs, raloxifene capsules or a placebo. Monitoring will thus make it possible to understand if the experimentation is effective and therefore if it will lead to significant results.
Through advanced computers developed a specific research. It was aimed at carrying out a screening on 400 thousand molecules and a specific test to evaluate a selection of 10.000 molecules. Computers made it possible to analyze the molecules and compare them with the Sars-CoV-2 virus. And raloxifene has been identified among the most promising molecules for the fight against Coronavirus. Hence the AIFA authorization and the start of experimentation. The public private consortium Exscalate4CoV, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 call and led by Dompé Farmaceutici, is dealing with this drug.
A drug already in use for other treatments
The molecule is already used in commercial drugs. These are the ones that are prescribed for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. His goal, in research and experimentation on Covid, will be to stop the replication of the coronavirus. But beware: the drug is still being tested, as the researchers who are working on the research explain. Therefore it can only be used for this clinical study. But like the vaccine it will be necessary to wait a few more months to understand if its use can be effective. We are confident that research will soon take a significant step in this area as well.
