What do we know so far about Nicolás Maduro’s “miraculous” droplets to cure the coronavirus?

At the end of January, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, introduced a drug called Carvativir he said “neutralizes 100%” covid-19 and described as “miraculous” for its supposed effectiveness in the fight against the SARS-COV-2 virus.

And although, later and after much criticism, specified that it was a “complementary” medicine for treatments against the coronavirus, he has not stopped advertising the drug on a daily basis, becoming a gold mine, at least political, while waiting to confirm whether it is also in the clinical field.

Two weeks after being announced, the studies that support this drug are still not fully known, which the government says will be mass produced.

What do we know about carvativir?

According to Maduro himself, Carvativir is a broad spectrum antiviral extracted from thyme, a genus with over 300 species of herbs.

The essential oil of this plant is the raw material of Carvativir by means of a phytochemical known as isothymol, a substance that athletes use for its supposed non-proof. to eliminate muscle fatigue.

The vehicle or excipient of Carvativir is squalene, an organic compound whose commercial presentation is derived from shark liver oil, but also from vegetable sources such as rice bran, wheat germ or olives. .

Squalene is used as an adjuvant in vaccines – like the flu – because stimulates the immune system.

In other words, carvativir is the sum of substances already known and which the pharmaceutical industry has been exploiting for commercial purposes for a long time.

Who produced the drug?

As principal investigators of Carvativir Venezuelans Raúl Ojeda Rondón and Jheam Frank Campos are featured, two partners and directors of the Labfarven laboratory and of the JR Drugstore, companies about which little is known.

In an interview with local media The National, Ojeda Rondón said that Carvativir was produced by “a scientific research line of the Venezuelan state through the Ministry of Science and Technology” between March and December last.

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 Medicine and the Ministry of Health were also part of the research team.

This group has advanced a three-phase research process which was “multicenter, randomized and with placebo”, supervised by a bioethics committee made up of 14 experts in various fields.

What studies support it?

The government has assured that the drug is approved by a 9 month study that several state-dependent institutions have advanced, including the IVIC.

This studio it has not been officially presented, despite the fact that Maduro promised more than a week ago that it would be released “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 titled “Antiviral and immunomodulatory activity of the compound isothymol recombinant against the agent SARS-COV-2”, sort of summary of the Carvativir investigation.

The executive also said that part of the study was carried out in several laboratories abroad, which analyzed samples without knowing what it was, including the laboratory of the American Mayo Clinic, according to the Minister of Science and Technology of Venezuela, Gabriela Jiménez.

The Administration ensures that these studies were carried out first in vitro and then with a group of mild, moderate and severe patients. In addition to these, drops were applied, while others were given a placebo.

Researcher Ojeda Rondón pointed out that an in vitro test has shown that Carvativir succeeded in inhibiting the reproduction of the virus.

Is it “miraculous”?

Carvativir, presented as “miraculous”, it was demoted two days later to “complementary“by Maduro himself, who admitted that his first words had sparked” enormous controversy “.

Chavismo strongman and deputy Diosdado Cabello, who said he overcame covid-19 after needing intensive care, also defended the drug’s effectiveness, which he claims to have used during his treatment.

“Take the goths and save your life”, Cabello recommended when airing his weekly show.

Ojeda Rondón, meanwhile, ruled out classifying the drug as “miraculous” and clarified that Carvativir It’s effective ” and shortens recovery times from disease.

Although some details of the drug have been drained, it is not yet clear how it is administered or how it is applied to critically ill patients, who are usually intubated.

What are the scientists saying?

The Venezuelan scientific community was skeptical After Maduro’s government announcements on Carvativir and the Venezuelan Academy of Medicine (AVM), he warned he was not aware of studies on the drug, while recommending waiting for more data.

“There is only one valid conclusion from information so far in the public domain: Thyme extracts, including many essential oils derived from this plant, have therapeutic potential against the coronavirus. However, it is wise to wait for more data testing of Carvativir, ”AVM said in a statement.

In the same vein, the association of researchers from IVIC – where part of the Carvativir study was developed – was declared, which ensured that they do not know the results of the investigation.

Doubts over Carvativir’s effectiveness led Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok to delete videos of Maduro talking about drugs, which the president called censorship and prompted him to ask the world to think about “abuse “social networks.

Covid-19 has caused in Venezuela, according to official data, 1,200 deaths and around 130,000 infections.

EFE Agency

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