“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.