There are currently about 165 different coronavirus vaccines in development worldwide. Russia has two registered vaccines - Sputnik-V and EpiVacCorona.
Sputnik-V became the first officially registered. The registration certificate of the Ministry of Health for the vaccine was signed on August 11. The interest in the world community in it is already serious: Belarus informs about the purchase of 100 thousand vaccines, Egypt has serious intentions, Argentina even came out with a statement about its intention to purchase 25 million doses of the Russian Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine. This was reported by the Voz edition.
Post-registration clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine were carried out with the involvement of more than 40 thousand people, they began in Russia and Belarus on August 25, 2020. A number of countries will also join the research, including the UAE, India, Venezuela, Egypt and Brazil.
In general, everything is good. She works. But the side effect could not be avoided. Those who choose this drug for vaccination may experience chills, fever, headache, and decreased appetite and swollen lymph nodes.
The second Russian vaccine is EpiVacCorona. After registration, its mass production began at the end of October, and the first volunteers will receive vaccinations in November 2020, RIA Novosti reports. In the meantime, regarding side effects, Rospotrebnadzor reports that the peptide vaccine "EpiVacCorona" is characterized by areactogenicity and the highest safety. “All the volunteers were doing well. Several volunteers were found to have short-term insignificant pain at the injection site, which arose a day after vaccination and lasted for 1-2 days. No other undesirable phenomena were recorded,”the agency said in a statement on its website.
In addition to these vaccines, Russia produces 15 drugs for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Of these, three drugs - "Favipiravir", "Levilimab" and "Olokizumab" - are officially registered and are included in the list of vital.
The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov told the plenary session of the Biotechmed forum that Russia produces enough drugs for the treatment of coronavirus infection. “As for drugs, our pharmaceutical industry today produces in sufficient quantities 15 drugs out of 21 recommended by the Ministry of Health for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus,” Interfax quotes the minister.
From this list, three drugs have already officially entered the list of vital and essential medicines (VED). According to the results of the last commission, the drugs Favipiravir, Levilimab and Olokizumab were included in this list. Hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir, also used in the treatment of coronavirus infection and registered in Russia, are not included in this list.
What do doctors know about the medicinal properties of these drugs and about the side effects detected when using the above drugs?
Hydroxychlorin has become one of the pioneers in the treatment of covid infection. Recommendations on the use of the drug "Hydroxychloroquine" for the treatment of patients with coronavirus infection appeared in the spring. The drug is not new, with experience. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effect and effect on the immune system, it has been used for decades to treat malaria, saving those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. That is, in almost hopeless situations. Clinical trials and the world's long-term practice of use would be ready to say "yes" to this drug in the treatment of coronavirus infection, if not for one reservation. He helps to heal, but does not protect the heart.
Unfortunately, this side effect was the basis for the disappointing conclusions of doctors on the American continent. “We have not been able to confirm the benefits of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine when used alone or with macrolide in relation to hospital outcomes for COVID-19,” said a team of medical doctors working with William Harvey, who heads the Department of Advanced Cardiovascular Medicine at Brigham Hospital. …
The Russian Ministry of Health has so far limited itself to a recommendatory amendment: the temporary methodological recommendations "Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)", approved on April 28, 2020, contain instructions for monitoring the heart rate in patients receiving HCH, as well as preventing its intake by patients with a high risk of developing arrhythmias. In fact, the use of the drug "Hydroxychloroquine" is possible in low doses for patients suffering from cardiac arrhythmias to a lesser extent.
The first drug officially registered in Russia for covid was the direct antiviral drug Favipiravir (trade name Avifavir). It showed the highest efficiency in clinical trials against COVID-19 - 90%.
Last month, this particular drug was included in the VED list. There are three registered drugs with this active ingredient in Russia: Avifavir, Areplivir and Coronavir.
Levilimab (trade name of Ilsir) is the second drug registered in Russia for the treatment of coronavirus. The drug is indicated for patients with a severe course of the disease, when the so-called cytokine storm develops - an excessive inflammatory reaction of the body to the introduction of the virus, which leads to damage to tissues and organs (in particular, lung tissue), to a severe course of infection with a possible fatal outcome. Preventing the development of a cytokine storm is extremely important in the treatment of COVID-19, the official website of the Ministry of Health informs.
Initially, "Levilimab" was developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but it came in handy with the coronavirus. Among the contraindications for use: clinically significant bacterial infections in the acute phase, including tuberculosis; children and adolescents up to 18 years old; pregnancy, breastfeeding; liver failure of severe and terminal severity.
Olokizumab is also one of the group of drugs developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and for seven years. And he was tested by patients around the world. In the case of covid, it also gave good efficacy, which allowed it to be included in the list of vital drugs.
It should be noted that together with Favipiravir, Olokizumab has already established itself as a leader in pharmaceutical production. "The volume of production of drugs in Russia in August doubled, the production of the most demanded during the pandemic and olokizumab increased by 165% and 495%, respectively," - quoted the data of the Ministry of Industry and Trade "Rossiyskaya Gazeta".
The fourth officially registered drug for the treatment of coronavirus in Russia is the American Remdesivir. It is approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration as a drug that can be prescribed to treat COVID-19 in hospitalized adults and children 12 years and older and weighing at least 40 kg. The World Health Organization has high hopes for its effectiveness.