Scientists and doctors from Ukraine, the United States and Italy exchanged the results of the latest scientific research in the fight against coronavirus and confirmed the effectiveness of antiviral drugs in the fight against COVID-19.
“The problem of combating the pandemic is relevant both for Ukraine and for the whole world. In our country, the number of COVID-19 cases is growing daily. And although the immunization of the population is quite active, none of the vaccines guarantees that a person will not get sick. The issue of prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in the early stages is now extremely relevant,” the scientists said, following the results of the scientific and practical conference entitled “New Treatment Strategies for COVID-19,” organized by the pharmaceutical company Farmak (Kyiv).
At the conference, scientists discussed the development of new and effective existing medicines that help treat patients with COVID-19. In particular, they paid special attention to the results of studies of antiviral drugs that demonstrated a therapeutic effect, shared their experience of partnership in the development of a direct-acting antiviral drug, talked about the prospects for the development of other antiviral drugs.
“How do antiviral drugs work? The virus is much smaller than bacteria, but this does not prevent it from destroying cells. People often mistakenly believe that antibiotics can neutralize the virus, but this is not the case. It is important to understand that antibiotics are effective only against certain types of bacteria. Antiviral agents are used to quickly and effectively deal with the virus. At the beginning of the disease, they reduce the symptoms and shorten the duration of the disease. It should also be understood that such drugs prevent it from multiplying,” the scientists said.
Italian scientist, doctor of the Ronzoni Institute for Chemical and Biochemical Research Stefano Elli, in particular, said that antiviral drugs have great potential in the fight against a pandemic. He presented a study showing the effect of Enisamium on SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). Enisamium is better known as the active ingredient of Farmak pharmaceutical company.
“According to the results of preclinical and clinical studies, Enisamium has confirmed its effectiveness. Prescribing the drug to patients with moderate severity of COVID-19 made it possible to alleviate the course of the disease in the subjects, prevent the deterioration of its clinical condition, avoid deaths and shorten the length of hospital stay,” Elli said.
According to the representative of the state enterprise State Expert Center Pavlo Babich, the positive experience of using this drug is confirmed by the results of a study on its use among patients with moderate COVID-19.
“Studies have shown that an antiviral drug successfully used in the treatment of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections in 11 countries of the world and, as it was recently established, by the joint efforts of scientists from Ukraine, Germany, the U.K., is also clinically effective in moderate COVID-19. Indeed, the drug has a wide spectrum of antiviral action against RNA viruses that cause acute respiratory diseases by inhibiting the RNA polymerase enzyme of the virus, under the influence of which it replicates,” he said.
“According to the results of research by scientists from the United States, Italy and Ukraine, it can be summarized that antiviral drugs are a powerful weapon in overcoming and preventing the negative consequences of COVID-19,” the scientists said.
Citizens of Ukraine who have completed a full course of vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19) will be able to enter Latvia and Greece if they have supporting documents, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said. “Another EU country, Greece, remained open to Ukrainians. Our citizens can enter it on the same conditions as before,” Kuleba said in Twitter on Friday.
He later added that Latvia also remains open for the entry of vaccinated Ukrainians.
“We continue to work with European partners to preserve freedom of travel,” Kuleba said.
Thus, at the moment, the number of EU countries that have left the possibility of entry for vaccinated citizens of Ukraine has reached 15. In addition to Latvia and Greece, they include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Slovakia, France, Croatia, Czech Republic and Sweden.
The European provider of electronic identification tools Nets A/S plans to open an office in Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation said on the Telegram channel, citing Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Liudmyla Rabchynska.
“This will bring us even closer to the EU Digital Single Market and help in digitalization processes. Nets A/S is the main provider that creates tools for electronic identification in the Scandinavian countries, Norway and Denmark, over the past 20 years,” the message says.
As the Ministry of Digital Transformation said, now 99% of the population of Denmark has an electronic ID and receive 100% of public services online.
“The emergence of Nets A/S in our state will allow Ukrainians to use new fintech services, e-archives, trust services and e-identification tools,” the ministry said.
The fleet of heavy transport aircraft An-124-100 Ruslan as of the current moment can be operated for another 10-18 years, Deputy Director of the air transport company of the Antonov State Enterprise for aircraft maintenance and airworthiness support Maksym Sanotsky has said.
“Today, the entire fleet of An-124-100 aircraft can be operated for another 10 to 18 years and this is only now. And this program will expand. Strength tests of the structure of this aircraft are underway. And I hope that the life of not only An-124-100, but all Antonov aircraft will be extended,” he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.
He said that the management of the Antonov State Enterprise very closely monitors compliance with the requirements of European and U.S. industry regulators.
According to Sanotsky, precision navigation systems have already been installed on the Ruslan aircraft. Radar equipment, life support systems, as well as chassis and other mechanical systems are being changed.
He also said that now Antonov can install modernized D-18T engines of the 3M series with an extended service life on its aircraft.
“We expect that the modernization program will be completed in five or six years. And all An-124 aircraft will be the same,” Sanotsky said.
Germany’s Federal Network Agency has not yet made a decision on Ukraine’s request to involve it in the certification of Nord Stream 2, the agency’s spokesperson Fiete Wulff told Interfax.
“The decision on the involvement request has not been made yet. The date of the decision has not been determined,” Wulff said.
Germany’s Federal Network Agency confirmed earlier that Ukraine asked the agency to involve it in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline’s certification process.
“The Federal Network Agency can confirm that Ukraine’s Naftogaz national joint-stock company and Gas Transmission System of Ukraine LLC have filed a request for invitation to this process,” Wulff told Interfax on November 8.
In line with the agency’s rules, those invited receive the right to give their opinions during the certification process, Wulff said.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has discussed the possibility of increasing natural gas supplies to Ukraine through the territory of Slovakia with Prime Minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger.“Slovakia is one of the main partners of Ukraine in the energy sector. Today, we have discussed the possibility of increasing natural gas supplies to Ukraine through the territory of Slovakia. This can happen in accordance with the agreements of the gas transmission system operators of our countries,” Shmyhal at said a joint briefing with Heger in Zakarpattia region on Friday.In addition, he said that in the transport sector, an important component of cooperation could be the provision of rail container traffic on the Asia-Europe route.Shmyhal announced Ukraine’s interest in increasing additional freight traffic through the country. “A promising area of cooperation is the creation of multimodal logistics terminals for handling cargo at the Ukrainian-Slovak border,” he added.The parties also discussed the development of border infrastructure, in particular, the functioning of joint checkpoints and joint customs control.“Cooperation with Slovakia in the customs sphere is no less important for us. We are working on mutual recognition of the results of customs control,” he added.The Prime Minister of Ukraine said that in the near future the dates of the meetings of the Ukrainian-Slovak Commission on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, the Commission on Cross-Border Cooperation and the Commission on National Minorities will be determined.Shmyhal also thanked Slovakia for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
