Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Biotherapeutics and Chemotherapeutics: An Insight into Product Specifications and Marketing Dynamics

Within ASEAN, Brunei is one of the low population density nations successfully combating the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As of 4th January 2023, over 2.6 hundred thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 225 deaths, had been reported in Brunei. This paper outlines the COVID-19 trends in Brunei and strategies taken by the health authorities to contain the pandemic. Three waves of COVID-19 have hit Brunei, with the first case of COVID-19 reported on 9th March 2020. The adoption of the “whole of nation approach” has proven to be effective in managing the outbreak. Early and decisive interventions taken by authorities and the public’s cooperation have been a remarkable success story. The key success factors are effective pandemic containment measures, public communication strategy, and enhanced surveillance mechanisms supported by the mass testing program and contact tracing. A national vaccination strategy ensuring adequate vaccine distribution and effective administration has been rolled out to render lasting protection against the infection. National COVID-19 Recovery Plan Framework and a gradual COVID-19 de-escalation plan were implemented to ensure a smoother transition to the new normal. This review provides valuable insights into the development of a robust pandemic leadership model and highlights the lessons and strategies that other countries can adopt for any future uncertainties.

Section: Vaccination Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Pandemic in Brunei Darussalam

Ang¹,

Law²,

Letchumanan³

et al. 2023

“…There is a growing number of studies investigating the potential of exopolysaccharides as antiviral agents [264][265][266] . Table 7 presents a comprehensive summary of these studies, including information about the origin of bacterial EPS and the viral strains tested, in addition to the antiviral methods employed.…”

Section: Antiviral Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial Exopolysaccharides: From Production to Functional Features

Talbi,

Elmarrakchy,

Youssfi

et al. 2023

Exopolysaccharides, known as bacterial EPS, are complex sugar polymers that bacteria secrete into their environment. EPSs play a crucial role in bacterial survival and proliferation by protecting cells from environmental threats. They also contribute to proper adhesion to numerous surfaces through biofilm production. Bacterial EPS display a wide range of biological activities conferred by their outstanding physical and chemical properties, which make them great candidates for medical and industrial applications. The main biological activities recorded up-to-day include antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, immune-modulatory and chelating properties. They also can be used as thickening agents in the industry or as additives to improve soil quality in agriculture. The current review offers a thorough overview of bacterial EPS, their biosynthesis processes and regulation, and biotechnological strategies to increase their production. The review also unravels the main extraction, purification, and identification techniques and highlights the key functional features of these complex molecules.

“…For example, anakinra and baricitinib, previously employed for rheumatoid arthritis treatment, can be repurposed to treat COVID-19 infection since these drugs can reduce inflammation in host cells [34] . Several biotherapeutics and chemotherapeutics, including Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir & Ritonavir) fixed-dose combination, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir fixeddose combination, Molnupiravir, Favipiravir, Remdesivir (Vekulary/Covifor) fixeddose combination, methylprednisole, Ivermectin and Infliximab (Remsima®) fixeddose have also been studied for their potential to be repurposed for the treatment of COVID-19 based on their anti-viral and anti-inflammation properties [35] . In battling long-term COVID-19 infection, a recent study showed that probiotics could be an adjunct therapy for COVID-19 treatment and its associated psychological symptoms.…”

Section: Bnt162b2mentioning

confidence: 99%

Update on Remdesivir in the Treatment of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia

Feng,

Lakshmi,

et al. 2023

Worldwide epidemic prevention and control remain under significant stress due to the global novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the ongoing emergence of variants like Omicron. The total confirmed COVID-19 cases globally as of now topped 620 million, while the total number of fatalities exceeded 6.6 million. The screening, drug discovery, and clinical development of novel treatments are still the hottest subjects in the treatment of COVID-19, and scientists throughout the world are dedicated to identifying prospective therapeutic agents to treat COVID-19 patients, including the new uses of old medications. Remdesivir, a COVID-19 therapeutic medication developed by Gilead Sciences, exerts antiviral effects by suppressing the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Remdesivir has maintained high inhibitory activity against all existing SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Omicron variant. We systematically retrieved Web of Science, CNKI, PubMed, and Clinicaltrials.gov to gather information related to Remdesivir on COVID-19 treatment. In this review, we summarized and reviewed the drug targets for COVID-19 management, especially the mechanism of action and research progress of Remdesivir. More importantly, the outcome of current clinical trials of Remdesivir alone and when combined with other drugs for COVID-19 management was analyzed, and the limitations and clinical significance of each clinical trial were evaluated. From this review, we can understand the development progress of Remdesivir for COVID-19 management, deepens the current understanding of Remdesivir research status, and gives us some inspiration for better drug use in COVID-19 management.