In one of the latest examples of coronavirus traffic information and conspiracy theories, an extract from a highly toxic plant is being touted as a possible COVID-19 cure, despite no evidence and ongoing criticism from medical professionals.
Oleandrin, derived from oleander, a flowering shrub widely used in landscaping, has been touted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell as a therapist for COVID-19. Lindell, a coveted Trump supporter who has no medical background, has a financial stake in Phoenix Biotechnology, the company behind the oleander product. He told CNN that he attended a meeting in July with President Trump about the use of oleandrin as a potential therapist for the coronavirus, and that Trump was “enthusiastic” about the extract and wanted the Food and Drug Administration to “do its course.” But a member of the coronavirus task force told CNN that oleandrin was never raised in any of its meetings.
When asked by reporters on Tuesday, Trump said he had not urged the FDA to authorize the use of oleandrin for COVID-19 treatment.
“Is it something that people talk about very strongly? We will see, “Trump said.
According to the New York Times, it may be possible for Phoenix Biotechnology to sell oleandrin as a supplement, which generally does not require FDA approval. While the company would not allow the supplement to be advertised as a coronavirus cure, some concerns the attention oleandrin has received from those with close ties to the White House may encourage some Americans to self-medicate COVID-19. therapy or prevention.
Even more worrying is the possibility that people may pick up the crude oil plant – what Yahoo News Medical Officer Dr. Dara Kass foresight can be deadly.
“Just because something grows in nature does not make it safe,” Kass says. ‘If you take this plant and take it so that you are overdosed, you may have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headaches and heart rhythm disorders. If those heart arrhythmias get bad, you can start to pass – and unfortunately, if those arrhythmias get so bad, they can kill you. ”
“Currently, there are no medical indications to ever take the oilseed rape plant.”
Oleandrin has been studied for its potential usefulness in treating a variety of conditions, but the results were unintended. It is considered a possible cancer treatment, but the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York says that so far “clinical studies to evaluate the anti-cancer activities of oleandrin in humans are lacking. The center said there is also a lack of scientific evidence to support the use of oleandrin in the treatment of heart attack, hepatitis C and AIDS, and warns patients against taking the raw plant, which is “highly toxic. is “and” can be fatal. “
One non-peer-controlled study has been conducted on the potential benefit of oleandrin for COVID-19. Researchers with the University of Texas Medical Branch tested kidney cells from African green monkeys and found that oleandrin could produce the amount of COVID-19 produced by the cells. Mar Dr. Scott Weaver, a virologist and vector biologist at UTMB who contributed to the study, told Yahoo Lifestyle that the success of oleandrine on cells in a lab does not mean it will be an effective treatment for humans or animals.
“There are a lot of drugs like this that start to look promising, but later fail for various reasons,” Weaver said.
“In the demand for treatments and cures for this virus, we can try many ideas. And probably, that’s what these scientists did, “says Kass of the UTMB study.” They came up with an idea that they would never expect to get into the hands of people looking for a quick fix. ”
On Wednesday, Forbes reported that the U.S. military had stopped testing oleandrin after “multiple iterations” of tests proved “incomprehensible”; they have instead focused their attention on researching other possible therapies and treatments for coronavirus.
This is not the first controversial drug to be hyped as a coronavirus treatment. Hydroxychloroquine has been described by many, including the President, as an “extremely successful” therapeutic, despite the fact that the antimalarial drug has not been proven to be effective against COVID-19 and can even cause health problems for those who take it.
Kass worries that when scientists and medical experts fail to come up with any new ‘quick-fix’ treatment that, without proof, can corrode public confidence in the scientific community – trust that she says we need are if and when a real treatment like vaccine comes along.
“We’ll have to convince Americans it’s a good idea,” Kass said. “And all this misinformation and false news, all this propaganda about easy treatments, quick treatments, things that have not been proven by science – they confuse every American.”
And many Americans are already skeptical. A recent Gallup poll found that 35 percent of Americans said they would not take COVID-19 vaccine if it became available, even if it was FDA-approved and available to them at no cost.
“If you have a question about a medication, whether it has a prescription or not, whether it comes from a plant or not, then you should ask your doctor. You have to look at scientists, ‘says Kass.
‘If someone goes on TV and tells you that they have all the answers, something that has been missed by all the scientists and all the doctors, then you have to ask yourself, what is their motive? If you find that they are financially interested in taking a medication that is not approved by science, my best advice is to just run away. ”
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