Covid, Viola: “Good news from anakinra drug studies”

“Good news! In the field of treatment, a new drug”, anakinra, “has given excellent results in the treatment of severe” Covid “, reducing mortality by 55% (Save-More study)”. Thus the immunologist from the University of Padua, Antonella Viola, comments on the results of the study, published in ‘Nature’ on the drug, “a monoclonal antibody used in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases”: “Blocks the Interleukin receptor 1, thereby reducing inflammation. Again, the key role of the immune system and inflammation in the pathology caused by Sars-CoV-2 is demonstrated. Of course, this is a drug that can only be used in hospitalized people, to save lives, but it is not the tool with which we can stop the pandemic. To do this, as we know, we need vaccines “. Viola – in a post on Facebook – continues: “And here comes a new good news which, however, unlike the first, is really only a preview, because there is no data yet available. According to Pfizer, they could be sent by this month. to the FDA the data relating to the vaccination of children between 5 and 12 years and, again according to the company, for the end of October also those for children between 6 months and 5 years. If these times were respected and if the If the FDA evaluates the data sufficient, vaccines for children could be available between the end of the year and the first months of next year. The research is therefore proceeding – he underlines – on both fronts: prevention and treatment “.