Coronavirus continues to prove it’s here to stay, with cases in all 50 US states and in most countries around the world. Since it has become clear that humans and COVID-19 will coexist for months, if not years, to come, governments and researchers have turned their attention to developing a cure in the form of treatment or a vaccine.
We’ve already talked about our passion for supporting medical research—we do it every day! In that spirit, we’re highlighting potential coronavirus treatments and vaccines from around the world. Check out some of the most promising:
The experimental drug receiving the most initial media attention is remdesivir. Originally created as a potential general antiviral, remdesivir got placed on the fast-track for COVID-19 testing– it’s already being used in five different clinical trials worldwide.
It’s speed in getting to this point can be attributed in part to its role in a past epidemic– it was considered as an option for treating ebola before researchers determined it to be ineffective. As a result, remdesivir has already undergone the initial phases of a clinical trial, and is known to be generally safe for human consumption.
However, the first trial results are already raising concerns and casting doubts on the effectiveness of remdesivir.
Moderna Therapeutics, a biotech firm based out of Cambridge, Mass., is taking a very different approach to their coronavirus vaccine.
According to LiveScience, “Unlike vaccines developed for other viruses, such as measles, this new vaccine does not utilize a weak or dead virus as its base. Instead, the vaccine contains a short segment of genetic material called messenger RNA, or mRNA, generated in a laboratory.”
This new, and potentially groundbreaking, method of vaccine development allows Moderna to fast-track their vaccine. The company is planning to launch clinical trials on healthy patients as soon as April 2020. The new method, though, also casts doubt and uncertainty on how effective the vaccine will prove to be.
China-based Ascletis Pharma Inc.’s is another vaccine ahead of the game. Its potential COVID-19 vaccine is in phase 3, the same phase as Gilead’s remdesivir. Their approach is multi-pronged. It combines two antivirals, one approved to treat HIV and one approved for hepatitis C, that together might effectively treat coronavirus.
The company already reported success with its early-stage clinical trials: 11 patients treated with the combination of treatments were discharged from a hospital in China with positive results.
CanSino, the company responsible for the first effective ebola treatment after the 2014 outbreak, quickly got the green light to begin clinical trials in Wuhan, China for its potential vaccine. Working on a more traditional model, the vaccine would take a piece of coronavirus’ genetic code and combine it with another, harmless virus.
AbbVie is in the process of testing another combination therapy very similar to Ascletis Pharma’s variation. Kaletra® is an existing antiviral drug that treats HIV in adults and children.
AbbVie is working with governments across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia to treat new coronavirus infections as well as pneumonia in patients.
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List the names of all the doctors, hospitals, and other facilities your loved one visits regularly, along with those they have visited in the past. Try to go back as far as you can, striving for at least the last 5-10 years, but do your best. Even if you can’t remember them all, having a strong baseline can help you quickly identify gaps in records.
It is important to make sure that you are fully empowered to make decisions on behalf of your loved one with Alzheimer’s. Your relationship status with the patient may not be enough to legally give you access to your loved one's medical information. It is a good idea to talk to an expert about securing special legal status, such as Power of Attorney (POA), a legal document that allows an individual to name someone as their decision maker should they no longer be able to make decisions on their own.
It’s important to have all of your loved one’s medical records together in one spot. This makes it much easier for you and your loved one’s physicians to accurately map the patient’s medical journey and more easily share information between doctors. Fortunately, tools exist to make record management and access simple. A free resource like PicnicHealth helps you collect and organize all of this information. PicnicHealth’s intuitive timeline allows you to pinpoint data across the medical history, eliminating your need for keeping heavy binders filled with paper records or keeping track of multiple software portal logins.
The better you understand your loved one's medical history, the better you can advocate on their behalf. Access and understanding of this information will help you to ask informed questions with physicians. Through regular communication backed by the data in the medical records, you can help your loved one’s care team develop a more successful care plan.
Learn more about PicnicHealth’s commitment to the Alzheimer’s community and the Alzheimer’s Association
Learn MoreIf your loved one is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, putting a support system together might not seem like priority #1. But it’s never too soon to build a network of people that you can turn to in times of need. Cultivate connections today with the people who can be there tomorrow, or whenever you might need a hand.
You may also want to connect with other Alzheimer’s caregivers through a support group, whether it meets in-person or online. In addition to the encouragement and empathy they provide, support groups can be a helpful source of tips, resources, and recommendations for navigating the world of Alzheimer’s.
If your loved one is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, putting a support system together might not seem like priority #1. But it’s never too soon to build a network of people that you can turn to in times of need. Cultivate connections today with the people who can be there tomorrow, or whenever you might need a hand.
You may also want to connect with other Alzheimer’s caregivers through a support group, whether it meets in-person or online. In addition to the encouragement and empathy they provide, support groups can be a helpful source of tips, resources, and recommendations for navigating the world of Alzheimer’s.
It isn’t always easy to look into the future with Alzheimer’s—but doing the legwork now will save you from stress later. If your loved one is in the early stages of illness, you can involve them in conversations about legal, financial, and long-term care planning decisions. Despite the difficulty of these topics, you’ll all feel empowered by facing them early, and you can move ahead with greater confidence.
It’s an exciting time for Alzheimer’s research, with new treatments in development and coming to market. Ask your loved one’s doctors about therapies they can try or clinical trials they can join. One easy way to participate in research is to sign up at PicnicHealth, which helps to advance Alzheimer’s science by sharing participants’ anonymous health data with some of the brightest minds in research.
It may seem self-centered to focus on self-care—but when you feel good, you can be a better caregiver. Whether it’s exercise, a mindfulness practice, a soak in the bath, or just time to rest when you need it, carve out those moments in the day when you can unwind, reset, and stay healthy mentally and physically. Think of it as building up your reserves of kindness, patience, and understanding—which can only benefit your loved one with Alzheimer’s. And don’t forget to keep a sense of humor along the way.
Easily manage all of your loved one's medical records and contribute to ongoing Alzheimer's research with PicnicHealth.
Learn More(from 13 patients with LC-FAOD)
38% Female
15 providers / patient
7.5 years of data / patient
(from 13 patients with LC-FAOD)
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