Coronavirus: Thread

grarpamp grarpamp at gmail.com
Wed Oct 6 22:23:17 PDT 2021


> But GovCorp control power pharma and $$$ says

Molnupiravir, Dexamethasone, Ivermectin

Pay us while we rape you in backalley using Govt as our lookout...


https://theintercept.com/2021/10/05/covid-pill-drug-pricing-merck-ridgeback/

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/melissabarber/files/estimated_cost-based_generic_prices_for_molnupiravir_for_the_treatment_of_covid-19_infection.pdf
https://www.keionline.org/36648
https://twitter.com/doddtra/status/1444015735748104200
https://qz.com/2068247/merck-could-make-up-to-7-billion-from-its-covid-19-drugs-in-2021/
https://www.keionline.org/36698
https://www.dropbox.com/s/66zoen3itw1z5m7/CNBC%20-%20Ridgeback%20Interview.mp4?dl=0
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/uttar-pradesh-government-says-ivermectin-helped-to-keep-deaths-low-7311786/
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0247163
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.05.21249310v1
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/03000605211013550
https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=541021002118114122091103085016081089109025032011016032119087102076096096025065092106001060102005041111018117099069094085119127042034007076000101066091084118012028030084017057102119113099099121007081069085089119026020010091094005103012001080000087113094&EXT=pdf&INDEX=TRUE
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7816625/
https://ejmo.org/pdf/A%20Comparative%20Study%20on%20IvermectinDoxycycline%20and%20HydroxychloroquineAzithromycin%20Therapy%20on%20COVID19%20Patients-16263.pdf
https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)32506-6/fulltext
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=ivermectin&cond=covid%2C+covid19%2C+covid+19&Search=Apply&age_v=&gndr=&type=&rslt=
https://ivmmeta.com/



Merck Charging US 40 Times What It Costs To Make Govt-Financed COVID Pill

Merck's new 'not Ivermectin' Covid-19 treatment, molnupiravir, costs
$17.74 to produce - yet the company is charging the US government $712
for the treatment - a 40x markup, according to The Intercept, citing a
report issued last week by the Harvard School of Public Health and
King’s College Hospital in London.
Molnupiravir pill from Merck. Photo: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

The pill, originally developed using US government funds as a possible
treatment for Venezuelan equine encephalitis, cut the risk of
hospitalization and death in half in a randomized trial of 775 adults
with mild/moderate Covid who were considered at high risk for disease
due to comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The
trial was stopped early so the company could apply for and emergency
use authorization (EUA). The drug did not benefit patients who were
already hospitalized with severe disease.

News of the oral 'wonder drug' sent shares of Merck higher last week,
as the company says it can deliver 10MM doses by the end of the year.

Clearly, the pill could bring in massive profits to Merck and its
partner on the drug, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics - which licensed the
drug from Emory University in 2020 and then sold the worldwide rights
to the drug to Merck for a sum which has not been disclosed.

Meanwhile, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a division of the
Department of Defense, funded development of the drug by Emory
University to the tune of $10 million between 2013 and 2015, according
to nonprofit group Knowledge Ecology International discovered.

    DTRA-JSTO, under the CBDP, invested in a broad-spectrum
#antiviral, leading to the discovery of molnupiravir through
collaborative research with @Merck, @EmoryUniversity, #RidgebackBio, &
@NIH.

    This drug has applications against encephalitic alphaviruses, flu,
SARS-CoV2, & more. pic.twitter.com/Z9gztSreC2
    — Defense Threat Reduction Agency (@doddtra) October 1, 2021

Yet, as Quartz points out, only Merck and Ridgeback will profit from
the new antiviral - which they say "could be one of the most lucrative
drugs ever," bringing in as much as $7 billion by the end of this year
alone.

    Despite its initial investment, the U.S. government seems to be
facing a steep markup in prices. In June, the government signed a $1.2
billion contract with Merck to supply 1.7 million courses of the
medication at the $712 price. The transaction is due to take place as
soon as molnupiravir receives emergency use authorization from the
Food and Drug Administration.

    Good government advocates are pointing out that because federal
agencies spent at least $29 million on the drug’s development, the
government has the obligation to ensure that the medicine is
affordable. “The public funded this drug, and therefore the public has
some rights, including the rights you have it available under
reasonable terms,” said Luis Gil Abinader, senior researcher at
Knowledge Ecology International. -The Intercept

Pushing back

Ridgeback co-founder Wendy Holman told CNBC in an interview last week
that they asked for, but "never got government funding" for the
manufacture of molnupiravir. The company also claimed in a press
release touting the study that "since licensed by Ridgeback, all funds
used for the development of molnupiravir have been provided by Merck
and by Wayne and Wendy Holman of Ridgeback."

Critics, meanwhile, say the $700+ price point is absurd - with health
advocates concerned that people some countries will not be able to
afford the new drug.

"Offering someone a $700 treatment when they don’t yet feel that ill
is going to mean that a lot of people are not going to take it," said
King's College Hospital physician Dzintars Gotham, co-author of the
report - which suggests that Merck would still reap a 10% profit
margin if they priced molnupiravir at $19.99.

"If you can’t afford medicine because it’s 1,000 times more than you
can afford, or because it’s 100 times more than you can afford, it
doesn’t matter," said Melissa Barber, a doctoral candidate at the
Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the report on
molnupiravir, adding "those are both bad."

    Barber and Gotham acknowledge that the $17.74 cost of producing a
five-day course of the antiviral pills is an estimate but said that
the algorithm they used, and have employed to estimate the production
costs for hundreds of drugs, tends to result in overestimates in the
long run.

    Meanwhile, the prices that private companies charge for drugs tend
to go up rather than down. “For all these deals that have happened for
therapeutics or vaccines, the price has only increased as uncertainty
has decreased,” she said. “One price is given and then, for the next
sale, the price goes up. The price went up for other drugs and
vaccines, so I would be very surprised if this price didn’t go up,
too.” -The Intercept

If only there were another option for mild-moderate Covid-19 cases
that was inexpensive and used around the world for decades with an
extremely positive drug safety profile.

We're just going to leave this here (as we noted last month):

Widely prescribed anti-parasitic Ivermectin (also made by Merck) has
shown massive efficacy worldwide in the treatment of mild and moderate
cases of Covid-19, plus as a prophylactic. India's Uttar Pradesh
province, with a population of over 200 million, says that widespread
early use of Ivermectin 'helped keep positivity [and] deaths low.'
(source, May 12th)

Separately, there have been several studies funded by the Indian
government, primarily conducted through their largest govt. public
medical university (AIIMS).

    Role of ivermectin in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection among
healthcare workers in India: A matched case-control study (source)

    Conclusion: Two-dose ivermectin prophylaxis at a dose of 300 μg/kg
with a gap of 72 hours was associated with a 73% reduction of
SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers for the following month.

    Ivermectin as a potential treatment for mild to moderate COVID-19
– A double blind randomized placebo-controlled trial (source)

    Conclusion: There was no difference in the primary outcome i.e.
negative RT-PCR status on day 6 of admission with the use of
ivermectin. However, a significantly higher proportion of patients
were discharged alive from the hospital when they received ivermectin.

    Clinical Research Report Ivermectin in combination with
doxycycline for treating COVID-19 symptoms: a randomized trial
(source, double-blind randomized, peer-reviewed)

    Discussion: In the present study, patients with mild or moderate
COVID-19 infection treated with ivermectin in combination with
doxycycline generally recovered 2 days earlier than those treated with
placebo. The proportion of patients responding within 7 days of
treatment was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the
placebo group. The proportions of patients who remained symptomatic
after 12 days of illness and who experienced disease progression were
significantly lower in the treatment group than in the placebo group.

Here are more human studies from other countries on the 'horse dewormer':

Peru:

    Sharp Reductions in COVID-19 Case Fatalities and Excess Deaths in
Peru in Close Time Conjunction, State-By-State, with Ivermectin
Treatments (source, peer-reviewed, University of Toronto, Universidad
EAFIT)

    For the 24 states with early IVM treatment (and Lima), excess
deaths dropped 59% (25%) at +30 days and 75% (25%) at +45 days after
day of peak deaths. Case fatalities likewise dropped sharply in all
states but Lima

Spain:

    The effect of early treatment with ivermectin on viral load,
symptoms and humoral response in patients with non-severe COVID-19: A
pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial
(source, University of Barcelona, peer-reviewed)

    Findings: Patients in the ivermectin group recovered earlier from
hyposmia/anosmia (76 vs 158 patient-days; p < 0.001).

Bengladesh:

    A Comparative Study on Ivermectin-Doxycycline and
Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin Therapy on COVID-19 Patients (source -
peer reviewed, though not govt funded)

    Conclusion: According  to  our  study,  the
Ivermectin-Doxycycline combination therapy has better symptomatic
relief, shortened recovery duration, fewer adverse effects, and
superior patient compliance compared to the
Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin combination. Based on this  study's
outcomes,  the  Ivermectin-Doxycycline  combination  is  a  superior
choice  for  treating  patients  with  mild to moderate COVID-19
disease.

    A five-day course of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 may
reduce the duration of illness (source, peer-reviewed double blind
randomized, though small sample size)

    Discussion: A 5-day course of ivermectin resulted in an earlier
clearance of the virus compared to placebo (p = 0.005), thus
indicating that early intervention with this agent may limit viral
replication within the host. In the 5-day ivermectin group, there was
a significant drop in CRP and LDH by day 7, which are indicators of
disease severity.

Meanwhile, There are currently 76 ongoing or completed clinical trials
on Ivermectin around the world. Below are the results of 32 which have
been completed. One can visit ivermeta.com and dig down on any of
these / read the entire study. The site recommends Ivermectin in
conjunction with vaccines to confer the best protection against
Covid-19, however we'll leave that to you and your doctor to discuss.
Screenshot, http://ivermeta.com/

Perhaps those who can't pony up $700 will seek other options.





"It Really Is THAT Good" - Wall Street Reacts To Merck's "Big Deal" Drug

As we reported earlier this morning, Merck has released what experts
say are "extremely positive" test results for a COVID anti-viral that
cuts risk of hospitalization in half, while also dramatically reducing
the risk of death. The data were so profoundly positive that an
oversight board ended the trial, claiming that withholding the drug
from patients in the placebo group would be "unethical".

Merck says it can deliver 10MM doses of the new drug, called
Molnupiravir, by the end of the year, by which it should be approved
by the FDA and possibly foreign regulators as well (the wheels of
bureaucracy are reportedly turning as quickly as they can).  Merck is
submitting an emergency application for authorization of the drug, and
we may see it in use during the next two weeks. The regiment is 2
pills a day for 5 days, and it's most helpful within 5 days of
infection.

The news has sent US stocks into the green for the day, while shares
of Merck briefly soared as much as 12%.

Meanwhile, shares of Moderna are really taking it on the chin, and
have fallen by more than 10%.

After failing to foresee the potential "game-changing" impact of the
new drug, Wall Street analysts are scrambling to interpret what
Molnupiravir will mean for markets and the economy.

In a roundup of commentary from Bloomberg, most agreed that the drug
would be a "game-changer" for the pandemic, and that it will likely
receive emergency use authorization before the end of the year.

Evercore ISI analyst Umer Raffat referred to the pill as a game
changer for Covid-19, writing that the data “really is THAT good".

    Expects oral pills to be a "big deal" in combating Covid with the
ease of use and scale of manufacturing being a game changer
    From MRK stock perspective, pipeline should finally start to get
real credit – starting with this readout today"

Barclays analyst Carter Gould expects a straightforward regulatory
decision for the pill to receive emergency use authorization from the
FDA with the data representing a needed win for Merck in combating
Covid-19.

    Highlights that the Street had estimated near-zero value for the
drug prior to today’s news with Merck set up well to book a $1.2
billion contract later this year.

Cantor analyst Louise Chen highlighted that the data showed consistent
efficacy across Gamma, Delta, and Mu variants and said the pill could
"change the treatment paradigm"

    "Positive data could clear path to take a slice of an untapped pie
in the COVID treatment landscape (multi-blockbuster opportunity in the
U.S. alone)"

SVB Leerink analyst Daina Graybosch wrote that the drug could unlock
more than $10b in near-term orders and also “represent the best option
for bringing the pandemic under control worldwide".

    Expects approval in the U.S. before year-end with additional
supply contracts in the coming weeks

Morgan Stanley’s Matthew Harrison wrote that the data are a
significant positive for patients and the broader public’s risk
perception as it relates to COVID







Never Say Neigh: FDA Lists 'Horse Drug' As Approved COVID Treatment

While the media has spent more than a year ridiculing the
widely-prescribed drug Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 - branding it a
'horse dewormer for idiots,' they've kept oddly silent about another
widely prescribed drug that's also used in horses, which is being
pushed by official bodies worldwide to treat the disease.

The NIH, CDC, WHO and FDA have all recommended dexamethasone - a
corticosteroid which has shown efficacy in the treatment of severe
covid. It's also a commonly used drug to treat allergies in horses.

The difference? One can be used to treat billions of mild-moderate
cases - or as a prophylactic, while the other has a much more narrow
use - those suffering from severe Covid.

As Twitter user @DoRtChristians notes: "The FDA recently told the
public not to take life-saving Ivermectin because "you're not a
horse""

Screenshot via FDA.gov
Screenshot via who.int
Screenshot via covid19treatmentguide.nih.gov

Yet;
Screenshot via chewy.com

Per Google (via Wedgewood pharmacy): "Dexamethasone commonly is used
in horses to treat allergic reactions such as respiratory allergies,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (heaves), hives, itching and
inflammatory diseases including arthritis."

But, but...

    You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it.
https://t.co/TWb75xYEY4
    — U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) August 21, 2021

We can only assume that because official bodies are recommending
dexamethasone - and because it's used in severe covid - a much smaller
fraction of those looking at ivermectin as a prophylactic and
early-stage treatment, the transitive properties of media outrage over
people taking a 'horse medication' don't apply.

Ivermectin

This widely prescribed anti-parasitic which is also used in horses has
shown massive efficacy worldwide in the treatment of mild and moderate
cases of Covid-19, plus as a prophylactic. India's Uttar Pradesh
province, with a population of over 200 million, says that widespread
early use of Ivermectin 'helped keep positivity [and] deaths low.'
(source, May 12th)

Separately, there have been several studies funded by the Indian
government, primarily conducted through their largest govt. public
medical university (AIIMS).

    Role of ivermectin in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection among
healthcare workers in India: A matched case-control study (source)

    Conclusion: Two-dose ivermectin prophylaxis at a dose of 300 μg/kg
with a gap of 72 hours was associated with a 73% reduction of
SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers for the following month.

    Ivermectin as a potential treatment for mild to moderate COVID-19
– A double blind randomized placebo-controlled trial (source)

    Conclusion: There was no difference in the primary outcome i.e.
negative RT-PCR status on day 6 of admission with the use of
ivermectin. However, a significantly higher proportion of patients
were discharged alive from the hospital when they received ivermectin.

    Clinical Research Report Ivermectin in combination with
doxycycline for treating COVID-19 symptoms: a randomized trial
(source, double-blind randomized, peer-reviewed)

    Discussion: In the present study, patients with mild or moderate
COVID-19 infection treated with ivermectin in combination with
doxycycline generally recovered 2 days earlier than those treated with
placebo. The proportion of patients responding within 7 days of
treatment was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the
placebo group. The proportions of patients who remained symptomatic
after 12 days of illness and who experienced disease progression were
significantly lower in the treatment group than in the placebo group.

Here are more human studies from other countries on the 'horse dewormer':

Peru:

    Sharp Reductions in COVID-19 Case Fatalities and Excess Deaths in
Peru in Close Time Conjunction, State-By-State, with Ivermectin
Treatments (source, peer-reviewed, University of Toronto, Universidad
EAFIT)

    For the 24 states with early IVM treatment (and Lima), excess
deaths dropped 59% (25%) at +30 days and 75% (25%) at +45 days after
day of peak deaths. Case fatalities likewise dropped sharply in all
states but Lima

Spain:

    The effect of early treatment with ivermectin on viral load,
symptoms and humoral response in patients with non-severe COVID-19: A
pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial
(source, University of Barcelona, peer-reviewed)

    Findings: Patients in the ivermectin group recovered earlier from
hyposmia/anosmia (76 vs 158 patient-days; p < 0.001).

Bengladesh:

    A Comparative Study on Ivermectin-Doxycycline and
Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin Therapy on COVID-19 Patients (source -
peer reviewed, though not govt funded)

    Conclusion: According  to  our  study,  the
Ivermectin-Doxycycline combination therapy has better symptomatic
relief, shortened recovery duration, fewer adverse effects, and
superior patient compliance compared to the
Hydroxychloroquine-Azithromycin combination. Based on this  study's
outcomes,  the  Ivermectin-Doxycycline  combination  is  a  superior
choice  for  treating  patients  with  mild to moderate COVID-19
disease.

    A five-day course of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 may
reduce the duration of illness (source, peer-reviewed double blind
randomized, though small sample size)

    Discussion: A 5-day course of ivermectin resulted in an earlier
clearance of the virus compared to placebo (p = 0.005), thus
indicating that early intervention with this agent may limit viral
replication within the host. In the 5-day ivermectin group, there was
a significant drop in CRP and LDH by day 7, which are indicators of
disease severity.

Meanwhile, There are currently 76 ongoing or completed clinical trials
on Ivermectin around the world. Below are the results of 32 which have
been completed. One can visit ivermeta.com and dig down on any of
these / read the entire study. The site recommends Ivermectin in
conjunction with vaccines to confer the best protection against
Covid-19, however we'll leave that to you and your doctor to discuss.
Screenshot, http://ivermeta.com/

Why does Ivermectin, a 'horse dewormer' work? For starters, it's a
protease inhibitor. Interestingly, Pfizer's 2x/day Covid-19
prophylactic they're trialing right now is also a protease inhibitor.

Yet doctors who advocate for Ivermectin are ridiculed by the media
(more here and here and here).

The MSM swarmed over 'horse paste overdoses'  for weeks after a
handful cases nationwide (and no deaths) - including an outright lie
amplified by Rolling Stone which they were forced to correct after the
hospital in question denied the claim.

Meanwhile, the likes of Maddow, Don Lemon and Chris Hayes jumped right
on the propaganda bandwagon - with Maddow promoting the debunked ER
story in a tweet she refuses to delete - and Twitter refuses to censor
for misinformation.

Why would any doctor put their career on the line to publicly advocate
for ivermectin when this is the result?


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