Trials starting for oral coronavirus vaccine: Know other treatment options

A member of the development team claimed that the new oral vaccine could turn COVID-19 into a very mild cold. Here's a look at other proposed treatment options for the deadly coronavirus.

But the vaccine won’t be available any time soon as bureaucratic testing and approval process may take time. © Shutterstock

A promising oral vaccine for coronavirus is likely to be ready for clinical testing within a few weeks, as per a media report. But the vaccine won't be available any time soon as bureaucratic testing and approval process may take time.

Israel's state-funded Migal Galilee Research Institute has developed the vaccine. It took the research team four years to develop the vaccine that could be customized for various viruses. The researchers have now adapted their work to focus on the novel coronavirus, a member of the team told an Israeli daily.

The researcher claimed that the new oral vaccine could turn COVID-19 into a very mild cold. As per the report, the vaccine will consist of a specially produced protein and deploy two means to defend people against coronavirus.

According to the Israeli researcher, it will require an oral spray to administer the vaccine. It will protect people who encounter COVID-19 two weeks after being administered.

Presently, there is no established treatment for COVID-19. But pharmaceutical companies around the world are proposing different drugs and experimental therapies to fight the deadly disease. Here are a few of them:

Anti-HIV drugs

Doctors in many countries are using also a combination of two anti-HIV drugs to treat coronavirus patients. The Drug Controller General of India has also approved restricted application of lopinavir and ritonavir for treating COVID-19 patients. The combination drug was first administered to an elderly Italian couple undergoing treatment at a Jaipur hospital for Covid-19. However, the effectiveness of this therapy is not clear yet.

Remdesivir

In the US, a biotech firm is conducting clinical trial of the antiviral medicine remdesivir on Covid-19 patients. Expecting a successful result, the company has already increased production of the drug to meet the potential demand. Remdesivir is a drug to treat Ebola. Researchers are using it to treat a COVID patient in the U.S.

MRNA-1273

Called mRNA-1273, this vaccine was proposed just 42 days after the novel coronavirus was sequenced. The company which is developing the vaccine plans to launch a study next month. Depending on the study result, the company plans to try it on more patients.