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COVID-19 pill first to cut short positive-test time after infection, reduce symptoms


A new antiviral drug has proved to shorten the symptoms of mild to moderate COVID-19 by about a day, with its drugmaker claiming that the oral drug could also be used to treat long-COVID.
Ensitrelvir – which has been developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi – is also the first drug to make a statistically significant cut in the number of days people test positive for the virus, medical journal Nature reported Tuesday.

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The drug has the potential to prevent long COVID, according to the company’s claims, although scientists remain skeptical of this assertion.
The trial of the drug, which was presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, involved roughly 1,200 people, with the main goal of determining whether the drug could accelerate recovery.
The results showed that participants who took the 125-milligram ensitrelvir pills recovered from five specific symptoms – stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, cough, feeling hot or feverish, and low energy or tiredness – about 24 hours earlier than those in the control group.
Participants who took the 125-milligram dose also tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 about 29 hours earlier than those who took a placebo. According to Shionogi, the study was the first to show a statistically significant reduction in the time to a negative test result.
The trial also investigated the drug’s potential to prevent long COVID. A subset of participants was asked about their COVID-19 symptoms three and six months after trial enrollment, as well as during their acute infection period. Those who reported two or more of the same symptoms at least twice in a row over this period were defined as having developed long COVID.
Participants who had a relatively high number of symptoms during the illness’s early stages had a 14 percent risk of developing long COVID if they took the antiviral, compared with a 26 percent risk for similar participants in the placebo group. This led Shionogi to conclude that participants who received ensitrelvir had a reduced risk of developing long COVID.
However, scientists who were not involved in the study pointed out that the trial was not specifically intended to investigate the risk of long COVID, and so the pre-trial research plan did not describe any methods for analyzing long COVID data. As a result, the definition of long COVID used in the study is unclear, and it is not possible to draw any strong conclusions about the drug’s potential to prevent long COVID.
Despite these limitations, scientists say it’s plausible that antivirals could prevent long COVID. A recent analysis found that people who took Paxlovid, another antiviral used to treat COVID-19, had a reduced risk of developing long COVID compared with those who took no antiviral drugs.
Study co-author Ziyad Al-Aly said that the ensitrelvir data made him more optimistic that attacking the virus early during an infection “seems to hold the key to reducing the risk of long COVID.”
The data that Shionogi has made public supported the idea that antivirals protect against long COVID, at least when residual virus is involved in causing prolonged symptoms. However, there is no consensus that persistent virus causes long COVID. Long COVID might be caused, for example, by the immune response to the virus.
Immunologist Danny Altmann at Imperial College London noted that the optimal study to investigate whether antivirals prevent long COVID would involve selecting only participants whose disease might be caused in part by lingering SARS-CoV-2. If scientists don’t separate out such people from those whose symptoms don’t have the same cause, trials could yield “murky answers,” Altmann said.
Ensitrelvir is the third oral antiviral used to treat COVID-19, after Paxlovid and molnupiravir. Both of these drugs are currently only used to target people who are at high risk of severe disease. But ensitrelvir was tested on people irrespective of their risk, which could have implications for its use in individuals at low risk.

Read more:

US pharma firms Merck, Pfizer rebuff China’s push for price cuts on COVID-19 drugs

US government to test Pfizer’s Paxlovid to treat long COVID

New COVID-19 vaccine may also protect cancer patients with weak immunity: Study

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Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets with CEOs of leading Norwegian companies

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has met with a group of CEOs from leading Norwegian companies, as part of their participation in the UAE-Norway Investment Forum, held alongside his official visit to the Kingdom of Norway.

During the meeting, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed underscored the UAE leadership’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation with its international partners.

He highlighted that investment in innovation and knowledge is a cornerstone for achieving sustainable development, noting that enhancing collaboration with Norwegian companies across key sectors will open new avenues for mutual economic growth between the two countries.

The UAE-Norway Investment Forum, taking place in Oslo, aimed to highlight available investment opportunities and strengthen trade relations between the UAE and Norway, fostering shared interests and supporting innovation and knowledge-based economic visions.

-wam

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At the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS inaugurates 10th global office, releases four books

As part of its Asian research tour, partnership with Aletihad News Center, and
primary sponsorship of the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS
Research & Advisory inaugurated its office in Jakarta, marking its 10th location
worldwide. It also released four books in Indonesian.
The inauguration event was attended by ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, and
Jordan to Indonesia, chairpersons of the UAE and Indonesian Publishers’
Associations, the Director of TRENDS’ Jakarta office, and a group of researchers
and academics.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS
Research & Advisory, stated that TRENDS’ international offices—set to reach 15
by the end of 2024—aim to enhance the Center’s research efforts and deepen its
role in disseminating knowledge, thus serving as a global knowledge bridge.
He emphasized, “At TRENDS, we believe in the importance of cooperation
between think tanks and prioritize this endeavor. We believe the TRENDS office in
Jakarta will enhance the exchange of knowledge and ideas between think tanks in
Asia and the Middle East, opening new horizons for collaboration in various
fields.”

Four books in Indonesian
As part of the Jakarta office’s inaugural activities, four books were released in
Indonesian, including the 11th and 12th books of the Muslim Brotherhood
Encyclopedia and Global Trends in AI and Automation and the Future of
Competition between Man and Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision.

Hostility to Arab states
The 11th book of the Muslim Brotherhood Encyclopedia, The Concept of the State
According to the Muslim Brotherhood, highlights its hostile stance toward Arab
states since its inception. The group views them as an obstacle to its ascent to
power. It opposed the modern principles upon which these states were built,
considering them incompatible with the group’s unique interpretation of Islam,
which it claimed to embody exclusively.

Exclusion of nonconformists
The 12th book, The Muslim Brotherhood: Rejection of Tolerance and Exclusion of
Nonconformists, examines the Muslim Brotherhood’s stance towards
nonconformists, individuals, and entities. The book reveals the group’s binary view
of the world, categorizing others as allies or adversaries. It ties these relationships
to the Brotherhood’s internal power struggles and self-serving interests.

Global Trends in AI
The third book, Global Trends in AI, explores significant developments in AI and
its impact on various aspects of life, including the economy, society, and
governance. It also offers a comprehensive analysis of technological advancements
in AI, its applications across sectors, the ethical and social challenges it presents,
and its future trajectory.

Automation

The fourth book, Automation and the Future of Competition between Man and
Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision, addresses the growing challenges
faced by the human workforce in the face of widespread automation and AI
applications. The book concludes that while automation presents a significant
challenge to the labor market, it simultaneously creates new opportunities. It
emphasizes the importance of preparing for this shift through skills development,
continuous education, and adopting economic and social policies that support the
workforce.

Prominent pavilion and active presence
The TRENDS’ pavilion at the Indonesia International Book Fair has attracted
numerous visitors, including academic researchers and officials, such as the
ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Turkey. Additionally,
chairpersons of Arab and Indonesian publishers’ associations, authors, publishers,
and students visited the pavilion. All were impressed with and praised TRENDS’ diverse, valuable publications. They also commended TRENDS’ active
international presence and ability to address global developments with rigorous
analytical research.
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali honored the esteemed guests, including
ambassadors of the UAE and Bahrain to Indonesia, Wedha Startesti Yudha,
Chairperson of the Indonesia International Book Fair Committee, Arys Hilman
Nugraha, Chairman of the Indonesian Publishers Association, and others,
presenting them with TRENDS’ publications and commemorative shields.
Additionally, he awarded TRENDS’ Research Medal to Ni Made Ayu Martini
Indonesian Deputy Minister of Marketing, Tourism and Creative Economy
It is worth noting that during its current Asian research tour, TRENDS announced
the launch of the TRENDS Research Medal, awarded to individuals who make
significant contributions to the development of scientific research and promote collaboration with TRENDS in strengthening a culture of research across various fields.

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US determined to prevent full-scale war in Middle East, Joe Biden tells UNGA79

US President Joe Biden highlighted the US Administration’s determination to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire Middle East region, noting that a diplomatic solution “remains the only path to lasting security to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes on the border safely”.

In remarks he made today before the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79), the US President said, “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” adding that a diplomatic solution is still possible.

He also touched on “the rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank”, and the need to “set the conditions for a better future”, which he said featured “a two-state solution, where the world — where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalised relations with all its neighbours, where Palestinians live in security, dignity, and self-determination in a state of their own”.

President Biden underscored the ceasefire and hostage deal put forth by Qatar and Egypt, which the UN Security Council endorsed. He said, “Now is the time for the parties to finalise its terms, bring the hostages home,” adding that this would help ease the suffering in Gaza, and end the war.

-WAM

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