Why you do not need antiviral drugs

Why not ignore the antiviral drugs

On the market there are a number of pharmaceutical products and of homeopathic remedies, positioned as "medicine for the prophylaxis and treatment of colds and flu." These means include a variety of active ingredients: Kagocel, umifenovir, interferons, bromide azoksimera... Remember these and other complex names are not necessary. It is important to pay attention only to the fact that all these funds are promoted as "antiviral" or "immunomodulatory".

Advertising promises that the people who will take them, will recover faster and less likely to hurt the common cold, but in fact there is no reason to trust it.

The first reason that should not ignore these drugs, - the absence of satisfactory evidence of effectiveness.

Search for kagocel in one of the largest scientific database of the world PubMed.govPubMed.gov | US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health Search database It produces 17 articles, which Kagocel mentioned. Among them are reports on laboratory tests and animal studies, but no reports of conducted randomized clinical trials (RCTs), which would prove that it actually helps people recover more quickly or more sick less often.

With other drugs "for the prevention and treatment of colds and flu," the situation is similar way.

Why efficacy of antiviral drugs is not proven

If some medicine really had the power to speed up recovery from colds infections or prevent their appearance, then, given the extraordinary prevalence of these diseases and their benign character, conduct quality research and to prove the effect would not take much labor.

In this context, the absence of evidence of effectiveness - a strong argument in favor of the fact that the tool is not working or has insignificantly small benefit.

What is the research problem, dedicated to antiviral agents

As proof of the effectiveness of these imaginary agents are often the results of clinical studies published in the Russian-language medical journals.

The first thing to note - many of these links do not lead anywhere, that is referred to the study can not be found anywhere else.

In his article,Society of evidence-based medicine | seeking Kagocel. Vasily Vlasov criticizes the two available studies supposedly proving the effectiveness Kagocel. In fact, these studies contain abundant evidence of bad practice, they are sponsored by manufacturers, and even accompanied by promotional materials.

Is it safe to antiviral drugs

The absence of large RCTs is not only unproven efficacy, but safety and unexplored drugs for "treatment and prevention of influenza and colds." This is the second reason why they should not be used.

When homeopathic remedies the likelihood of side effects, of course, very small: just because, based on the technology of their manufacture (a plurality of dilution), they do not contain active substances.

In the case of many other "immunomodulatory and antiviral" unexplored safety profile of drugs causes serious doubt, because they were originally developed as a tool, which will be sold without a doctor's prescription and used a lot of people.

The composition includes Kagocel gossypol - a substance with the established ability to suppress fertility in men. Until now, its toxicological tests were carried out only on rats. safety data for the drug are no people, but, despite this, the tool is used in children. By world standards, it is unacceptable, immoral practices. If funds safety profile is not set, it must first be studied in adults and only after that can be used in the treatment of children.

Why these drugs are still on the market

There are several possible reasons.

Patients taking these agents recover. Not because the drug helps them, and because the disease goes away on its own. However, they can be frustrating to recognize that they have spent the money for nothing, and because they often become advocates for the use of these drugs, recommending them to their friends and relatives.

Many patients and doctors believe the massive advertising and that the claims about the effectiveness and safety have been tested by someone else.

Disorient the public and doctors, and reinforces the fact that the use of these tools not only meets resistance, but also often supported by public health authoritiesSociety of evidence-based medicine | Ministry of Health narekomendoval. and academiaSociety of evidence-based medicine | Flu. Recommendation. another shame. .

What if the doctor prescribed anti-virals

We can not expect that in the foreseeable future unscrupulous advertising campaigns, incompetence and misrepresentation of the recommendations by the financial interests disappear. In this regard, consumers need to be more informed and to ignore those funds.

Than to be treated during the cold and flu

Currently available small quantity of antiviral drugs with modest efficacy and only for treatment flu. This group includes, in particular, oseltamivirCDC | Influenza Antiviral Medications: Summary for Clinicians. . With early treatment, this drug can significantly reduce the duration of disease (on average per day). Given the benign nature of this infection, for most people the use of oseltamivir is inappropriate.

Against hundreds of other types of viral infections that cause cold symptoms, treatment does not exist. Effective opportunities to prevent the development of complications of these infections does not exist.

Rules of treatment for colds can be described as follows:

1. If necessary to facilitate the symptoms of colds and flu (in anticipation of natural healing), you can use simple and cheap symptomatic facilities.
2. Patients need to know what the symptoms may indicate the development of complications of infection and when you should always consult a doctor.