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The Minister of Science and Technology, Marcos Pontes, affirmed, on Monday (19), that the graph presented by the portfolio that supposedly showed the effectiveness of a remedy against Covid-19 was “merely illustrative.” The image released by the minister did not contain data to support the claim and it was similar to those available in an image bank service (see comparison below).
“In the meantime, if you contract covid, remember the conclusion of the studies presented today. That is the important thing,” Pontes said, on a social network, at 11:55 pm (Brasilia time) on Monday. “Note: obviously, as can be easily deduced from the axes and the discourse of the responsible researcher, the graphic in today’s presentation is merely illustrative. “
Video screen presented at the act of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The database and data are identical to those available from the ShutterStock agency. – Photo: Playback / TV Brazil
The statements about the graph and the effectiveness of the drug were made after the council of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCTI) had already reported that “the graph used in the video presented at the announcement event of the results of clinical trials with nitazoxanide is not part of the study data and appears for illustrative purposes only. ” (See the full note at the end of this article.).
Without giving details of the results or presenting the study in its entirety, the government reported that clinical trials with volunteers showed that the drug reduced viral load when taken within 3 days of the onset of symptoms.
The research has yet to be published in any scientific journal, according to Pontes. “The graphs and numbers of the investigation will be presented after the published article,” wrote the minister on the social network.
See the full MCTI note:
“The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI) clarifies that the graph used in the video presented in the event of the announcement of the results of clinical trials with nitazoxanide is not part of the study data and appears for illustrative purposes only.
The qualitative result presented today is obviously based on comprehensive data and studies in the possession of the responsible researchers.
At the moment, the MCTI and the study coordinators are not yet able to reveal the numbers and calculations of the study to preserve its originality, as it has been submitted to an international journal, limiting its publication.
However, Covid-19 continues to advance in Brazil and, in the role of doctors and scientists, the decision was made not to omit the qualitative result of an extremely important study, which can help save lives while we wait for the vaccine.
After the publication of the scientific article, we will make a technical presentation for those interested, showing all the numbers, calculations, equations, methods, etc. “
Nitazoxanide is a drug used in the country under the trade names Azox and Annita, and is part of the group of antiparasitics and dewormers. The drug also has antiviral action and is prescribed in cases of rotavirus.
To avoid self-medication, the drug began to be sold by prescription only in April this year. However, a decision by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) on September 1 removed the requirement to withhold income.
The commercially available nitazoxanide-containing drug has no indication for coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
