Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Why treating Covid-19 with drugs is harder than you think

Why treating Covid-19 with drugs is harder than you think

Viruses are much more varied, rapidly evolving and hard to access than bacteria – so scientists searching for drug-based treatments have their work cut out.

The UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, recently announced the creation of an antivirus taskforce to "supercharge" the development of new antiviral drugs. At a Downing Street press conference, Johnson said: "The majority of scientific opinion in this country is still firmly of the view that there will be another wave of Covid at some stage this year." The Prime Minister hopes to have antiviral drugs ready by the autumn to help quell a third wave.

While there are anti-inflammatory drugs that reduce the risk of death from Covid-19, such as dexamethasone and tocilizumab, they are only given to people hospitalised with severe Covid-19. But Johnson wants drugs that can be taken at home, in pill form, that stop people ending up in hospital on a ventilator.

It usually takes years to develop and approve new antiviral drugs because the discovery pipeline involves a painstaking process of identifying chemical compounds that target the virus and then testing their efficacy and safety. For this reason, scientists are also looking at reusing existing drugs that have been approved for treating other viruses or diseases.

The antiviral drug Tamiflu binds to proteins on the surface of infected cells to prevent flu particles from escaping


Unlike broad-spectrum antibiotics, which can be used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections, drugs that work against one type of virus rarely work at treating other viruses. For example, remdesivir, originally developed for treating hepatitis C, was at one point suggested as a treatment for Covid-19, but clinical trials have shown that it has only a limited effect against this coronavirus.

The reason there are few effective broad-spectrum antivirals is that viruses are much more diverse than bacteria, including in how they store their genetic information (some in the form of DNA and some as RNA). Unlike bacteria, viruses have fewer of their own protein building blocks that can be targeted with drugs.

For a drug to work, it has to reach its target. This is particularly difficult with viruses because they replicate inside human cells by hijacking our cellular machinery. The drug needs to get inside these infected cells and act on processes that are essential for the normal functioning of the human body. Unsurprisingly, this often results in collateral damage to human cells, experienced as side-effects.

Targeting viruses outside cells – to stop them from gaining a foothold before they can replicate – is possible, but is also difficult because of the nature of the virus shell. The shell is extraordinarily robust, resisting the negative effects of the environment on the way to its host. Only when the virus reaches its target does its shell decompose or eject its contents, which contain its genetic information.

This process may be a weak spot in the virus lifecycle, but the conditions that control the release are very specific. While drugs targeting the virus shell sounds appealing, some may still be toxic to humans.

Despite these difficulties, drugs that treat viruses such as influenza and HIV have been developed. Some of these drugs target the processes of viral replication and the viral shell assembly. Promising drug targets of coronaviruses have been identified as well. But developing new drugs takes a long time, and viruses mutate quickly. So even when a drug is developed, the ever-evolving virus might soon develop resistance towards it.

Some strains of HIV have already evolved resistance to certain antiretroviral drugs, which were first developed in the late 1980s


A further problem in fighting viruses is that several – such as HIV, papillomavirus and herpes – can switch into a sleeping mode. In this state, infected cells don't produce any new viruses. The genetic information of the virus is the only viral thing present in the cells. Drugs interfering with the replication or shell of the virus do not have anything to be active against, so the virus survives.

When the sleeping virus becomes active again, symptoms are likely to reoccur and additional treatment with a drug is then necessary. This increases the chance of the drug resistance developing, since the virus experiences the drug-induced selection for resistant variants for a longer time.

Although we are still only starting to understand the lifecycle of coronaviruses, there are signs that they can persist for an extended time, particularly in patients with weak immunity, resulting in an additional problem of generating more resistant virus strains.

Research on understanding how the coronavirus works has come a long way in a short time, but when it comes to developing antivirals there are still many questions to be answered. With a potential resurgence in infections expected later in the year, the antiviral taskforce has its work cut out.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×