- Researchers from Florida think they have found a coronavirus cure, saying their treatment protocols had a success rate of nearly 100%.
- AdventHealth Ocala doctors treated their patients with a combination of four types of drugs under the acronym ICAM.
- ICAM is a COVID-19 therapy designed to boost the immune system while preventing inflammation in the lungs.
- A clinical trial is underway to prove the findings. If it’s found to be safe and effective, ICAM therapy might be used on COVID-19 patients without the need to hospitalize them.
What makes the novel coronavirus so scary isn’t necessarily the incredible infectiousness of the pathogen, although that’s certainly part of the reason why people are so afraid of COVID-19. The real problem is the fact that there are currently no available drugs that can prevent severe cases and life-threatening complications. The new illness has often been compared to the flu, but the past few months have shown us that the comparison is flat-out wrong. The many viruses that cause the flu are also dangerous for humans without proper care, but we tend not to panic about a flu case because we know how to treat it at home long before we need to call in the cavalry. It might be a while until we can treat COVID-19 at home, as scientists have yet to determine treatment protocols that can be applied outside of hospitals. After all, vaccines alone won’t put an end to the pandemic because the virus will continue to spread.
Doctors worldwide have been studying all sorts of therapies to manage COVID-19 and reduce complications. Now, a team of scientists from Florida thinks it has figured out an optimal protocol and they say their COVID-19 treatment has a near-perfect success rate.
“The ICAM protocol has the potential to trigger the reopening of the country,” Director of Pharmacy at AdventHealth Ocala Dr. Carlette Norwood-Williams told Fox 35. “We will know the next step after our outpatient study.”
The scientists have not yet tested their combination of drugs in a clinical trial to prove beyond any doubt that the treatment is safe and effective. But according to the researchers, ICAM therapy has yielded a 96.4% survival rate since April. It’s unclear how many patients have received ICAM, but Florida was one of the hardest-hit states in the US over the summer.
ICAM isn’t a new drug, it’s an acronym for a combination of existing medications used simultaneously on patients. It uses Immunosupport drugs (Vitamin C and Zinc), Corticosteroids against inflammation, Anticoagulants against blood clots, and Macrolides to help fight infection.
Vitamin C is widely used to boost the immune system against infections and might help prop up the immune system as it fights the novel coronavirus. Zinc also has a role in immunity, and the mineral rose to prominence during the height of the hydroxychloroquine controversy. Zinc was often associated with the anti-malarial drug and azithromycin in COVID-19 therapies. Studies have since shown that hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin can’t prevent COVID-19 complications or infections.
Research has also shown that corticosteroids like dexamethasone can reduce deaths, so science has already proven this ICAM component is effective against the new virus.
As for anticoagulants, or blood thinners, doctors have known for months that they can help reduce complications. COVID-19 impacts blood vessels and can lead to the formation of micro clots that can block blood flow to key organs, including the lungs, brain, and heart. That’s why COVID-19 can impair the functionality of the lungs and lead to strokes and heart attacks.
Macrolides are a class of antibiotics and azithromycin is one member of the family, also known from its association with hydroxychloroquine.
“We had no need for mechanical ventilation, and the patients all survived the discharge regardless of age and regardless of past medical history,” Norwood-Williams said about the ICAM protocol. She explained that the drug combination “works to defend the body from the most severe cases of the coronavirus.”
Norwood-Williams continued, “What we found out was that ICAM works as a strategy for super defense for the body. It doesn’t kill coronavirus, but it doesn’t need to. Viruses are self-limiting anyway. They have a very short life cycle. What kills people are the consequences of coronavirus in multiple ways.”
The major limitation of this report is that it doesn’t specify the number of individuals who received ICAM in hospitals and the various stages of their illnesses. The company confirmed that a clinical trial is planned and that it has partnered with the Marion County Health Department and Heart of Florida Health Centers to provide ICAM as an outpatient treatment for 100 adults who test positive for the novel coronavirus consent to the treatment.
