4 ms·

Are you making a blanket statement that no antiviral treatment can possibly exist for long? I am not an expert, but Tamiflu is a widely available influenza anti

Are you making a blanket statement that no antiviral treatment can possibly exist for long? I am not an expert, but Tamiflu is a widely available influenza antiviral. Please make a comprehension effort: I am not suggesting that Ivermectin is some sort of miracle cure. I'm simply saying that I would sleep much better at night knowing that if the mRNA vaccines are evaded through evolution (they are narrower than natural immunity), there is a secondary line of defense, ideally with multiple alternative treatments. Whether these are Ivermectin (unlikely given the data so far), fluvoxamine (recently touted in the press), remdesevir, a derivative or something completely new, I don't know. Edit. I looked up Tamiflu on Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oseltamivir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oseltamivir. Alas, there are reasons to believe it not a miracle cure either. > A 2014 Cochrane Review concluded that oseltamivir does not reduce hospitalizations, and that there is no evidence of reduction in complications of influenza.[9] Two meta-analyses have concluded that benefits in those who are otherwise healthy do not outweigh its risks.[10][11] They also found little evidence regarding whether treatment changes the risk of hospitalization or death in high risk populations.

hcknwscommenter 5y ago
I mean, anything is possible. Death rays from mars could strike me down tomorrow at 10 am. But it is certainly unlikely that a given antiviral would be effective for long. Tamiflu is very much widely available, but it is not really deployed (administered) at scale. At peak, and now down >50%, tamiflu sales were about 1B. Even if tamiflu were $1 a dose (it's not), we are talking about a very very small portion of the global influenza patients having taken it. So yes I think that, if tamiflu were a strong protection against severe flu (it's not) and it were deployed at scale (never has never was), its usefulness would not last long.
- angelzen 5y ago
  Scenario: X suffers a breakthrough infection and is hospitalized. Doctors estimate a ventilator may be necessary in a couple days. Would you X have access to a last minute post-infection treatment, even imperfect, or just resign yourself to the likely tragic outcome? (Also, Tamiflu apparently doesn't work. Ugh...)

hcknwscommenter 5y ago

I mean, anything is possible. Death rays from mars could strike me down tomorrow at 10 am. But it is certainly unlikely that a given antiviral would be effective for long. Tamiflu is very much widely available, but it is not really deployed (administered) at scale. At peak, and now down >50%, tamiflu sales were about 1B. Even if tamiflu were $1 a dose (it's not), we are talking about a very very small portion of the global influenza patients having taken it. So yes I think that, if tamiflu were a strong protection against severe flu (it's not) and it were deployed at scale (never has never was), its usefulness would not last long.

angelzen 5y ago
Scenario: X suffers a breakthrough infection and is hospitalized. Doctors estimate a ventilator may be necessary in a couple days. Would you X have access to a last minute post-infection treatment, even imperfect, or just resign yourself to the likely tragic outcome? (Also, Tamiflu apparently doesn't work. Ugh...)