Human rights and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines: the International AIDS Society–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights

Beyrer, Chris; Allotey, Pascale; Amon, Joseph J; Baral, Stefan; Bassett, Mary T.; Deacon, Harriet; Dean, Lorraine T.; Fan, Lilianne; Giacaman, Rita; Gomes, Carolyn; Gruskin, Sofia; Jabbour, Samer; Kazatchkine, Michel D.; Stackpool-Moore, Lucy; Maleche, Allan; McKee, Martin; Mon, Sandra Hsu Hnin; Paiva, Vera Sílvia Facciolla; Peryskina, Alena; Pūras, Dainius; Rubenstein, Leonard; Kamarulzaman, Adeeba; Corey, Lawrence

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00708-x

Cited by 30 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The copyright holder for this preprint (which this version posted July 14, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07. 13.449251 doi: bioRxiv preprint the etiologic agent of COVID-19, breakthrough infections in the immunocompromised [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] , infections in the young and elderly lacking a full repertoire of immunological responses 20 , vaccine reticence or hesitancy 21 , and the inequitable distribution of vaccines globally 22 indicate that therapeutic interventions will be required to limit severe disease and substantial mortality associated with pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Currently, remdesivir, under emergency FDA authorization, is the only antiviral to show improvement of clinical outcomes, albeit with limited effectiveness and the limitation of intravenous administration 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The emergence of multiple coronaviruses (CoVs) into the human population in recent years [10][11][12] highlights the need for the rapid development of broad-spectrum interventional strategies against genetically distinct CoVs. Despite the unprecedented rapid development of effective vaccines targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of COVID-19, breakthrough infections in the immunocompromised [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] , infections in the young and elderly lacking a full repertoire of immunological responses 20 , vaccine reticence or hesitancy 21 , and the inequitable distribution of vaccines globally 22 indicate that therapeutic interventions will be required to limit severe disease and substantial mortality associated with pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Currently, remdesivir, under emergency FDA authorization, is the only antiviral to show improvement of clinical outcomes, albeit with limited effectiveness and the limitation of intravenous administration 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Water-soluble tocopherol derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

Pacl

Tipper

Sevalkar

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The recent emergence of a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has led to the global pandemic of the severe disease COVID-19 in humans. While efforts to quickly identify effective antiviral therapies have focused largely on repurposing existing drugs, the current standard of care, remdesivir, remains the only authorized antiviral intervention of COVID-19 and provides only modest clinical benefits. Here we show that water-soluble derivatives of α-tocopherol have potent antiviral activity and synergize with remdesivir as inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Through an artificial-intelligence-driven in silico screen and in vitro viral inhibition assay, we identified D-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) as an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 and β-coronaviruses more broadly that also displays strong synergy with remdesivir. We subsequently determined that TPGS and other water-soluble derivatives of α-tocopherol inhibit the transcriptional activity of purified SARS-CoV-2 RdRp and identified affinity binding sites for these compounds within a conserved, hydrophobic interface between SARS-CoV-2 nonstructural protein 7 and nonstructural protein 8 that is functionally implicated in the assembly of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp. In summary, we conclude that solubilizing modifications to α-tocopherol allow it to interact with the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp, making it an effective antiviral molecule alone and even more so in combination with remdesivir. These findings are significant given that many tocopherol derivatives, including TPGS, are considered safe for humans, orally bioavailable, and dramatically enhance the activity of the only approved antiviral for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water-soluble tocopherol derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

Pacl

Tipper

Sevalkar

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another key factor that must not be overlooked is the continuous emergence of mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2, which threatens the efficacy of the developed vaccines. Additionally, having in mind the high prevalence of the disease and also relatively high mortality associated with it, despite the advances in its treatment and management, it is still reasonable and even crucial to discuss the ways of improving outcomes of the patients suffering from it (World Health Organization, 2020a;Chowdhury et al, 2020;Gautret et al, 2020;Sorci et al, 2020;Beyrer, 2021;Kovacevic et al, 2021;Lambert, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This means that the start positions and possibilities to respond and adjust to new conditions such as this pandemic vary among different countries. In the case of COVID-19, this also implies the concern with disparities in vaccine availability among countries and regions to a point where it becomes the question of ethics and human rights (Beyrer, 2021;Lambert, 2021). Accordingly, as Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to middle-income countries and is among the weakest European economies, it is clear that its health care system found itself in an unenviable position during the COVID-19 outbreak.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beneficial Treatment Outcomes of Severe COVID-19 Patients Treated Entirely in Primary Care Settings With Dexamethasone Including Regimen—Case Series Report

Vukoja¹,

Jurić

Erkapić³

et al. 2021

Front. Pharmacol.

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Even in 2021, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a major global health concern, especially in developing countries. The burden of this disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which affects not only primary respiratory but also other organ systems, keeps rising as the pandemic continues. Primary health care centers are the first line where COVID-19 patients are managed and should be able to manage the vast majority of them successfully. In this paper, we present a case series and concept of beneficial management of even deteriorating and severe patients treated entirely in our primary health center. The management is based on well-timed and rational dexamethasone use, as well as on various other pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments and interventions, and is supported by provided statistical data. According to the presented experience and positive outcomes achieved, it seems that even deteriorating and severe COVID-19 patients can be treated successfully to some extent or even completely in primary care settings. This kind of approach could be particularly beneficial in conditions of overload of higher-level health care institutions.

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“…Although calls are being made for the inclusion of migrant and mobile populations in Covid-19 responses, specifically vaccination programmes ( Al-Oraibi et al., 2021 ; Beyrer et al., 2021 ; Hoagland and Randrianarisoa, 2021 ; Orcutt et al., 2020 ; UNHCR, UN Committee on Migrant Workers, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Council of Europe, 2021 ), few good practice examples exist of how to strengthen regional harmonisation and operate inclusive health systems during the pandemic ( Crawshaw et al., 2021 ; Greenaway et al., 2020 ; Knights et al., 2021 ).…”

Section: Moving Forward: Towards Inclusive Covid-19 Programmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global health (security), immigration governance and Covid-19 in South(ern) Africa: An evolving research agenda

Vearey¹,

Gruchy²,

Maple³

2021

Journal of Migration and Health

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The Covid-19 pandemic provides a stark reminder of the political tensions associated with the field of immigration and health, highlighting the central role that nationalism, racism and xenophobia play in determining responses to communicable diseases. The blurring of global health, immigration governance, and the global health security agendas has long been recognised. However, an improved understanding of the politics influencing these entanglements, specifically within the context of the Covid-19 response in low- and middle-income country contexts, is urgently needed. This includes – but is not limited to – the immediate concerns surrounding inclusive social, political and medical responses to Covid-19; vaccine nationalism – at both global and national levels; and calls for ‘vaccine passports’. To this end, we draw on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) context – one associated with high levels of diverse population movements and a large burden of communicable diseases – to explore responses to Covid-19. We unpack tensions surrounding the management of migration and the ways in which sovereignty impacts attempts at building regional, coordinated responses to migration and health, and consider how this affects progress towards global health targets. With an initial focus on South Africa, we build on previous work exploring the blurring of global health, immigration governance, and the global health security agendas in SADC, and draw from ongoing research on the governance of migration and health within the region. This includes current and evolving research exploring migration and Covid-19, initiated in March 2020 when the first cases of Covid-19 were identified in Southern Africa. The aim is for these findings to catalyse a new and evolving researh agenda to inform the development and implementation of appropriate pandemic responses in a region associated with some of the highest levels of inequality globally. To this end, an evolving research agenda should be responsive to current needs. We suggest that, in SADC, priority research should focus on improving our understanding of (1) the political factors influencing the (dis)connections between migration and health governance structures in the context of Covid-19, and how to overcome these in the context of a pandemic; and (2) the motivations for and implications of a ‘vaccine passport’ system on movement within and beyond the SADC region. This requires a reactive, cross-disciplinary, regional research network. In a context where funding for research is increasingly inaccessible, this requires innovative, informal, collaborative engagement.

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Human rights and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines: the International AIDS Society–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights

Cited by 30 publications

References 11 publications

Water-soluble tocopherol derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

Water-soluble tocopherol derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

Beneficial Treatment Outcomes of Severe COVID-19 Patients Treated Entirely in Primary Care Settings With Dexamethasone Including Regimen—Case Series Report

Global health (security), immigration governance and Covid-19 in South(ern) Africa: An evolving research agenda

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