“The Macrolide-Clarithromycin Task-Force for the Treatment and Prophylaxis of Covid19 ”.
Scientists and clinicians especially in Latin American countries, have many different difficulties, mainly economical, to implement innovative concepts in Medicine or to carry on control clinical trials. Also it seems that we are bound to many bureaucratic barriers and very slow motion of our health authorities to test novel medical strategies in this urgent situation.
However, as it is observed in Brazil, our countries and people could be damaged more strongly by the virus than in other parts of the world and maybe suffering the worst consequences even in a second possible wave of this virus (87).
For this purpose, we have interested and joined several medical groups from different South and Central American countries in what we have called the “Macrolide-Clarithromycin Task-Force for the Treatment and Prophylaxis of COVID-19 ”.
The main objective of this Task-Force is to use a Macrolide: Clarithromycin, as a single agent for the treatment and prophylaxis of the COVID-19 pandemic and perform a multi-national collaborative project and at least two controlled Clinical Trials in this direction: one therapeutic and the other prophylactic.
With this novel concept in mind, that Clarithromycin could not only be an antibacterial agent but also a strong immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral one, very active for COVID-19, we got in contact as we said with medical groups in Argentina, México, Perú, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, that were very enthusiastic to hear and share this idea.
This Task Force is now opened to all the interested groups not only in Latin America but also from the rest of the world, such as it was the case of Iran that early joined the Force. Also the United States has been invited to participate.