In late January, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro introduced a drug called Carvativir, which he said “neutralizes 100%” of covid-19 and described it as “miraculous” because of its alleged effectiveness in fighting SARS -VOC . -2.
And, although, after many criticisms, he stated that it is a “complementary” drug for coronavirus treatments, he did not stop advertising the drug daily, turned into a reef, at least a political one, waiting to confirm whether it is . and in the clinical field.
Two weeks after it was announced, studies supporting this drug are not yet fully known, which the government – reportedly – will be mass-produced.
What is known about Carvativir?
-WHAT IS CARVATIVIR?
According to Maduro himself, Carvativir is a broad-spectrum antiviral extracted from thyme, a genus with over 300 plant species.
The essential oil of this plant is the raw material for Carvativir through a phytochemical compound known as isotimol, a substance that athletes use for its supposed – unproven – ability to eliminate muscle fatigue.
The vehicle or excipient Carvativir is squalene, an organic compound whose commercial presentation is derived from shark liver oil, but also from plant sources such as rice bran, wheat germ or olives.
Squalene is used as an adjunct in vaccines – such as the flu – 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 been exploiting for commercial purposes for a long time.
-WHO PRODUCED THE MEDICINE?
Among the main investigators of Carvativir are Venezuelans Raúl Ojeda Rondón and Jheam Frank Campos, two partners and directors of the Labfarven laboratory and JR Drugstore, companies about which little is known.
In an interview with the local newspaper El Nacional, Ojeda Rondón said that Carvativir was produced by “a line of scientific research of the Venezuelan state through the Ministry of Science and Technology” between March and December.
He stressed 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 Ministry of Health were also part of the research team.
This group conducted a three-phase research process, which was “multicenter, randomized, and placebo-controlled,” overseen by a bioethics committee of 14 experts in various fields.
-WHICH STUDIES SUPPORT MEDICINE?
The government assured that the drug is supported by a 9-month study conducted by various state-dependent institutions, including 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 is used for hosting documents – there is a report uploaded by Raúl Ojeda Rondón and entitled “The antiviral and immunomodulatory activity of the recombinant isotimol compound against SARS-COV-2”, a kind of summary of the Carvativir investigation .
The executive also said that part of the study was completed in several foreign laboratories, which analyzed samples without knowing what it is, including the laboratory of the Mayo Clinic in the USA, according to the Minister of Science and Technology of Venezuela, Gabriela Jiménez.
The administration ensures that these studies were performed first in vitro and later with 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 had successfully inhibited the reproduction of the virus.
-Is CARVATIVIR “MIRACULOUS”?
Carvativir, described as “miraculous”, was reduced to “complementary” two days later by Maduro himself, who accepted that his initial words had caused “extraordinary controversy”.
The strong man of Chavismo and deputy Diosdado Cabello, who said he overcame covid-19 after needing intensive care, also defended the effectiveness of the drug, which he said he used during treatment.
“Take the Goths and save your life,” Cabello recommended during her weekly program.
Meanwhile, Ojeda Rondón ruled out classifying the drug as “miraculous” and said Carvativir was “effective” and shortened recovery time after illness.
Although some details of the drug have been leaked, it is not yet known how it is administered or how it is applied to seriously ill patients, who are usually intubated.
– What is the position of the scientific community?
The Venezuelan scientific community has been skeptical after the Maduro government’s announcements about Carvativir, and the Venezuelan Academy of Medicine (AVM) has warned that it is unaware of drug studies, while recommending 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 coronavirus. However, it is prudent to expect more data from Carvativir tests, “AVM said in a statement.
In the same vein, the IVIC researchers’ association was declared – where part of the Carvativir study was developed – which ensured that they did not know the results of the research.
Doubts about the effectiveness of Carvativir led Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok to delete videos about Maduro talking about drugs, which the president classified as censorship and led him to ask the world to reflect on the “abuses” of social networks.
Covid-19 has caused 1,200 deaths and about 130,000 infections in Venezuela, according to official data.