The Mast Cell Research Institute is officially a member of the FLCCC

Recently, the Institute’s directors attended a fruitful panel conversation with Dr. Paul Marik, Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at East Virginia School of Medicine, and a founding member of Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance(also known asFLCCC). The panel is currently in the process of reviewing emerging data to prevent and treat of COVID-19 with drug repurposing, as well as vitamins and minerals.

The FLCCC is an academic group with more than 200 years of combined experience in critical care and emergency medicine. They have also had a long-standing interest in developing effective treatments for critical illness, including sepsis. In early March 2020 the FLCCC formed a task force dedicated to the creation of a COVID-19 treatment protocol.

In addition, Dr. Marik, his colleagues, and members of the FLCC, have all been actively advocating for the consideration of this crucial research to combat the pandemic. 

Recently, on December 8, 2020, Dr. Pierre Kory appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, who were holding a hearing on “Early Outpatient Treatment: An Essential Part of a COVID-19 solution.” Here, Dr. Kory, in addition to appearing on the committee as a witness, asked the Government to concisely review the medical evidence on the second use of drugs.

According to intricate research, these approved drugs have been assessed in vitro (a study that uses cells/molecules) for a second use that can help to slow down the progress of the COVID-19 in people who present the first symptoms, avoiding the hyper-inflammatory phase of the infection. It should also be noted that repurposed drugs could critically help ill patients recover, helping others prevent the spread of the virus that has caused so many deaths worldwide. However, in vivo,studies are required to have fairly assessed information on the benefits of the drug in the new condition.

Returning to the topic of the panel, the panel discussed the potential benefit of reused drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. There was also additional talk mentioning the need for science-based studies on this topic. 

Doctors also explained at the panel that numerous clinical studies, including peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials, showed great benefits of drug repurposing in prophylaxis, as well as in the early treatment and advanced stage of the disease. Based on the clinician’s arguments and explanations, these trials have been shown to be substantial enough to reliably assess clinical efficacy, but more clinical trials and data analysis should be done. They should be additionally analyzed in order to have clear information about the benefits and action mechanism of the  drugs concerning COVID-19.

Now, the Mast Cell Research Institute – MCRI – plans to join forces with Dr. Marik’s team, taking the first step by joining the FLCCC.

Hopefully, being part of the FLCCC can reinforce the capabilities of both parties to achieve their goals, especially those aimed at mitigating the burden of disease caused by COVID-19 around the world.