Miracle Pill Paxlovid Benched As The People’s Antivirals Ivermectin & Tollovid Sub In
A recent study effectively benched Paxlovid as a viable therapy for the masses. Paxlovid only got the nod from the FDA to pursue approval for people with high risk from COVID-19. This leaves a huge void in the standard-risk patient population that was looking for an expansion of the drug to treat a greater number of people. In fact, there are many reports on Twitter of Patients getting Paxlovid who really aren’t at high risk. Some in the medical community according to the Philadelphia Tribune had a “more relaxed standard in the community” and were zealous in prescribing Paxlovid, believing there was efficacy. The irony is that in April 2022 the FDA was encouraging greater use of Paxlovid and opening it up to telehealth docs, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Clinicians are now armed with a much-needed clarity that Paxlovid failed in standard-risk adults. Settling the debate is likely to lead to a large contraction of this controversial supply of Paxlovid, which also means there will be a large group of standard-risk patients looking for antiviral treatment alternatives like Ivermectin or Tollovid.
Paxlovid Benched for Viral Rebound & Potential Side Effects
Pfizer's EPIC-SR clinical trial—of low-risk unvaccinated COVID-19 patients and vaccinated patients with one or more risk factors—was stopped early because there was little to no chance that the drug could show a hospitalization benefit, which was their primary endpoint. Pfizer placed blame on the low hospitalization rate in standard-risk patients, but the actual number of hospitalizations has been steadily increasing and sits at 24,947 currently hospitalized, which is over twice the amount just two months ago. The real problem is the low efficacy that was highlighted in a research article describing an observational study on real-world use. After using Paxlovid, it took 20 days to get 30% of patients to a point of undetectable viral load (Ct value >30), commonly referred to as COVID-19 negative. The 5 days of 3CL protease inhibition just isn't enough. This is why there are so many cases of Paxlovid rebound.
The CDC indicated there should only be around 2% rebound in the immunocompromised, but real-world experience shows that it is much higher and closer to 40% in a Twitter poll. This is in addition to a 5-day course of Paxlovid only working for 30% of patients as shown in the chart above. The control group and the Paxlovid group begin to separate just after 5 days, again supporting the idea that a longer treatment regimen may be more effective.
Thus, the common-sense solution would be to simply extend the usage of Paxlovid. In response to the Paxlovid rebound controversy, the CEO of Pfizer chimed in that people should just take another course, “like you do with antibiotics.” He was immediately rebuffed by the FDA which asserted that there was no evidence of the benefit of a longer course, but this rouse was quickly uncovered as an attempt by the FDA to skirt the real issue of the insidious toxicity of prolonged use of ritonavir, including pancreatitis, arrhythmia, severe skin rash and allergic reactions, liver problems, and drug interactions.
It is also suspected that ritonavir impacts the immune system and endothelial cell death. Keep in mind that the primary two concerns with COVID-19 are the immune system and endothelial cells, which are the cells primarily infected with COVID since they express the entry receptor, ACE2. Ritonavir has been known to cause endothelial dysfunction through oxidative stress in HEALTHY SUBJECTS. There are several publications that detail the toxic safety profile of ritonavir with extended use. Prescribing a drug that negatively impacts the two parts of the body that are hit the hardest from COVID might be another reason why Paxlovid is underperforming in the real world. Standard-risk individuals are now on their own to find the best solutions—potentially other 3CL protease inhibitors like Paxlovid—for themselves since 10-day courses of Paxlovid aren’t available and might carry unwanted side effects.
People’s Choice Antivirals
1. Ivermectin
Ivermectin has probably been the most popular choice among unvaccinated individuals and others, as a recent article showed that it was recently identified as one of the top 200 searched-for items on Amazon.com. The reason the broader population is interested in Ivermectin is that it is a 3CL protease inhibitor like Paxlovid, targeting the main component of the viral replication machinery.
Early in the pandemic, an argument could have been made for the use of Ivermectin in COVID-19 as a prophylactic. Now, the case against it is too strong even though people still want to use it since it is inexpensive and widely available. The problem is that numerous recent large-scale outpatient trials attempting to reduce hospitalization, prevent disease progression, or enhance recovery times, even studies funded by ACTIV (NCATS funded), find no difference between control arms and Ivermectin usage, even with earlier use. However, the potential use of a higher dose or longer course of Ivermectin in addition to starting treatment early, according to some of these studies, might be fruitful and find a benefit in further studies. In all likelihood, Ivermectin may help a little bit, but not to a great extent.
2. Tollovid
Tollovid is also a 3CL protease inhibitor just like Paxlovid and just like Ivermectin, but it's the Goldilocks antiviral because it's just right. It's not overengineered—and dosed with an HIV drug—like Paxlovid which has the toxic side effects that come with prolonged use, and it is not too weak like Ivermectin which requires careful dosing to prevent toxicity while maintaining enough dose to have any significant effect. Tollovid is an all-natural dietary supplement that is just right when it comes to 3CL protease inhibition. It's also easy to use and can be ordered from www.mytollovid.com.
The pricing of Tollovid always seems to surface. It costs $149.50 per 30-day bottle, whereas Ivermectin costs ~$115 for a 30-day supply of just 3mg tablets on Amazon (clinical trials have used up to 400 μg per kilogram of body weight which equates to about 32mg/day for the average person!). So not only is Ivermectin potentially more expensive depending on where it is sourced, but it also requires a much higher dose to be effective—about 20-50x the amount of ivermectin is needed to bind the 3CL protease compared to Tollovid. Those that take Ivermectin should realize that they are, in a sense, taking a highly diluted form of Tollovid. In fact, Tollovid is the only approved OTC 3CL protease inhibitor.
For critics of the price of Tollovid, they aren't basing their price comparisons on the inhibition level of the 3CL protease which means that Ivermectin is multiple times more expensive than Tollovid. And at that point, the limit not only becomes cost but also toxicity. It is not worth overdosing on ivermectin or underdosing it and not seeing an effect when a better 3CL protease inhibitor such as Tollovid is available.
This cost comparison table above shows the cost-effectiveness of either therapy with respect to the level of 3CL protease inhibition; in other words, the cost of antiviral capacity. The point is that Tollovid is a much stronger 3CL protease inhibitor and isn’t expensive at all in comparison despite the sticker shock that one might get when looking at a $149 price. The table uses the 20x strength comparison with half of Tollovid being the active supplement (not emulsifier) as well as the price linked on Amazon, though some people may be able to find cheaper Ivermectin.
What's in Your Medicine Cabinet?
Those paying attention to the variants and the waves of pandemic disease circling the globe realize that a therapy that works is something nice to have immediately available, without a prescription required, in the medicine cabinet. News of the Paxlovid failure is creating a scramble to find something new. This article is really about what treatment is going to occupy that spot in the medicine cabinet of everyday people without any underlying medical conditions. There are zealots that believe Ivermectin is the ideal treatment and are close-minded to any other treatment option. Unfortunately, this segment of the population is really bad at math and doesn't mind paying a lot more per unit of 3CL protease inhibition, nor do they seem to care about or be aware of the possible side effect of high doses of Ivermectin.
The only clear option is Tollovid due to its Goldilocks 3CL protease inhibitor profile. There are many compelling reports where people use Tollovid as a prophylactic against the virus and also for long-haulers syndrome where the virus may persist in the body for weeks to months after infection. It's also quite useful in the case of a breakthrough infection which now represent a majority of all infections.
There are also a couple of special use situations. The now infamous Paxlovid rebounds have been seen, and in many cases, Tollovid came to these people's rescue a number of times on multiple Twitter threads. Some people just can’t get better within the 5-day Paxlovid treatment regimen; they need a little more time and Tollovid buys them that precious time, keeping them symptom-free until their immune system kicks in. The company behind Tollovid (Todos Medical: TOMDF) also announced its intentions to ramp up a Long-COVID observational study that has compiled a number of amazing anecdotal case reports. Right now a majority of the American public has no viable treatment options and very little if any protection from the vaccine. Many are clamoring for a solution but haven’t been exposed to the all-natural dietary supplement called Tollovid. If Tollovid isn’t sitting in your medicine cabinet, it's time to order at www.mytollovid.com and #TolloUp. Going with suboptimal alternatives isn’t worth it.
