Immunomodulators are drugs that affect the immune system or participate in its functioning. There are many similar drugs on the Russian market that allegedly improve the immune response, but the bulk of them do not have proven effectiveness, an immunologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences at the European Medical Center told socialbites.ca. , named after a pediatrician at the Department of Clinical Immunology of the Orthopedic Institute of the Federal Scientific Center for Child Health. D. Rogacheva Alexandra Laberko.
“There are few immunomodulators with proven effectiveness on the Russian market. Unfortunately, for most drugs, data from large randomized and placebo-controlled studies are not available. These are the types of studies that must be done to prove the effectiveness of any drug. The lack of experience in using these drugs abroad is also concerning. Of course, this does not mean a 100% lack of effectiveness, but it puts both the prescribing doctor and the patient in a state of uncertainty: it is impossible to predict not only the effectiveness of the treatment, but also the safety of its use,” Laberko explained.
According to him, these drugs are actively prescribed for a number of historically determined reasons, from the peculiarities of state regulation of the pharmacological market to the habits of patients and doctors. Second, unfortunately, they often base treatment choices on marketing information and not on scientific data on the proven effectiveness of drugs.
“It is also important to understand that a doctor’s practice is often based on confidence in his own experience, and if a specialist has positive experience of using a drug, including those that do not have scientifically proven effectiveness, he will continue to prescribe this type of treatment,” the expert said. .
But the idea that absolutely all immunomodulators do not work is also wrong. Immunomodulators are used in medicine with proven effectiveness.
“For example, alpha interferons are used in treatment regimens for oncological processes and serious infections, especially viral hepatitis. However, you must understand that we are talking about completely different pharmacological forms and doses of drugs than those widely offered by the Russian pharmaceutical industry.
Read more about what immunomodulators are, what groups of similar drugs exist, how they are used and whether their use is dangerous – in material “socialbites.ca”.
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