In late January, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro presented a drug called Carvativir that he claimed “neutralizes 100%” of covid-19 and described it as “miraculous” because of its alleged effectiveness in the fight against SARS. -COV virus. -2.
And although he later and after numerous criticisms specified that it was a ‘complementary’ drug to coronavirus treatments, he didn’t stop advertising the drug daily, turned into a reef, at least a political reef, waiting for confirm whether it is also in the clinical field.
Two weeks after the announcement, the studies supporting this drug are still not fully known, which the government says will be mass-produced.
What is known about Carvativir?
WHAT IS THE CARVATIVIR?
According to Maduro himself, Carvativir is a broad-spectrum antiviral extracted from thyme, a genus of more than 300 types of herbs.
The essential oil of this plant is the raw material for Carvativir through a phytochemical compound known as isothymol, a compound that athletes use for its alleged unproven ability to eliminate muscle fatigue.
The carrier or excipient of Carvativir is squalene, an organic compound whose presentation for commercial purposes comes from shark liver oil, as well as from vegetable sources such as rice bran, wheat germ or olives.
Squalene is used as an adjuvant in vaccines – such as influenza – because it stimulates the immune system.
In other words, Carvativir is the sum of substances that are already known and that the pharmaceutical industry has long exploited for commercial purposes.
WHO PRODUCED THE DRUG?
The main researchers of the Carvativir are Venezuelans Raúl Ojeda Rondón and Jheam Frank Campos, two partners and directors of the Labfarven laboratory and the JR Drugstore, companies about which little is known.
In an interview with the local newspaper El Nacional, Ojeda Rondón said that between March and December last year, Carvativir was produced by “a line of scientific research by the Venezuelan state through the Ministry of Science and Technology”.
He pointed out that the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), the Rafael Rangel National Institute of Hygiene, the National Service of Medicine and Forensic Sciences, and the Department of Health were also part of the research team.
This group conducted a three-phase research process that was “multicentre, randomized, and placebo,” overseen by a bioethics committee consisting of 14 experts in various fields.
WHAT STUDIES SUPPORT THE DRUG?
The government assured that the drug is backed by a nine-month study conducted by several state-dependent institutions, including the IVIC.
This study was not officially presented, despite the fact that Maduro promised more than a week ago that it would be published “in the next few days,” as requested by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
However, on the Scribd platform – which serves to host documents – there is a report uploaded by Raúl Ojeda Rondón and entitled “Antiviral and Immunomodulating Activity of the Recombined Isothymol Compound Against the SARS-COV-2 Agent”, a sort of summary of the investigation of the Carvativir.
The Executive also said part of the study was completed in several foreign labs, which analyzed samples without knowing what it was, including the US Mayo Clinic’s laboratory, Venezuela’s secretary of science and technology Gabriela Jiménez said.
The administration assures that these studies were conducted first in vitro and later in a group of mild, moderate and severe patients. In addition, drops were applied, while others were given a placebo.
Researcher Ojeda Rondón pointed out that an in vitro test showed that Carvativir successfully inhibited the reproduction of the virus.
-IS IT CARVATIVIR “MIRACULOUS”?
The Carvativir, presented as “miraculous”, was reduced to “complementary” two days later by Maduro himself, who accepted that his initial words were causing “enormous controversy”.
Chavismo’s strongman and deputy Diosdado Cabello, who said he had overcome covid-19 after needing intensive care, also defended the effectiveness of the drug, which he says he used during his treatment.
“Take the goths and save your life,” Cabello advised during the airing of her weekly program.
Ojeda Rondón, meanwhile, ruled out the drug being classified as “miraculous” and specified that Carvativir is “effective” and shortens disease recovery times.
While some details of the drug have been instilled, how it is administered or how it is applied to critically ill patients, who are usually intubated, is not yet known.
– WHAT IS THE VIEW OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY?
The Venezuelan scientific community was skeptical after the Maduro government’s announcements about Carvativir and the Venezuelan Academy of Medicine (AVM) warned that they are unaware of the studies on the drug, while recommending waiting for more data.
“There is only one valid conclusion with the information so far in the public domain: thyme extracts, including many of the essential oils derived from that plant, have therapeutic potential against the coronavirus. However, it is wise to wait for more data from the Carvativir tests, “AVM said in a statement.
In the same vein, the IVIC researchers association – where part of the Carvativir study was developed – was mentioned, which assured them that they did not know the results of the study.
Doubts about Carvativir’s effectiveness prompted Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok to remove videos of Maduro talking about the drug, something the president labeled as censorship and prompted him to ask the world to consider the “abuse” of the drug. social networks.
Covid-19 has caused 1,200 deaths and about 130,000 infections in Venezuela, according to official data.