Scientists think they have found an inhaler (see photo) that blocks coronavirus progression in the lungs
A large-scale study has begun at a hospital in Hull into a recycled multiple sclerosis drug that researchers hope will greatly reduce the likelihood of coronavirus patients becoming seriously ill.
The first patient in the trial with a drug known as SNG001 received treatment Tuesday at Hull Royal Infirmary.
Previous studies showed promising results: Only 13 percent of patients received intensive care treatment, compared with 22 percent who received a placebo.
Patients treated with the drug were also twice as likely to recover after two weeks than those who did not, according to research from Southampton University.
SNG001 uses a naturally occurring protein called interferon beta that the body makes to fight viral infections.
Interferon beta is a treatment for multiple sclerosis and is normally given by injection. But SNG001 is inhaled into the lungs with a nebulizer to elicit a stronger, more targeted antiviral response.
Kaye Flitney was one of 98 people enrolled in the clinical trial led by Southampton University last year
Scientists believe Covid-19 shuts down the immune system’s ability to produce the protein in high doses, with the new treatment providing the lungs with an essential ‘replenishment’.
The drug was developed by employees at Southampton University Hospital and is produced by biotech company Synairgen.
Treating a patient can cost around £ 2,000 which is considered relatively inexpensive compared to alternatives.
At Hull Royal Infirmary, Alexandra Constantin, 34, was the first person to receive treatment as part of this retrial, after being hospitalized with coronavirus on Monday, the BBC reported.
The latest study on the treatment was published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine in November and examined 98 hospital patients with the virus between March and May, at the height of the UK epidemic.
They were divided in two, with one group receiving the new treatment and the other group receiving a placebo.
The study was conducted double-blind, meaning that neither the researchers nor the 98 patients knew who was receiving SNG001.
In the placebo group, 11 (22 percent) of the 50 patients were moved to the ICU after fourteen days or required mechanical ventilation. Three eventually died.
Of those who received SNG001, only six (13 percent) of the 48 patients developed serious illness and there were no deaths.
Patients taking the drug were also twice as likely to regain full health by the end of the two-week period.
A total of 21 (44 percent) in the SNG001 group recovered during that time, compared to 11 (22 percent) patients in the placebo group.
Lead author Professor Tom Wilkinson, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton, said: “ The results confirm our belief that interferon beta, a widely known drug approved for use in its injectable form for other indications, may have the potential as an drug to restore the lung’s immune response and accelerate the recovery of Covid-19.
Inhaled interferon beta-1a provides high, local concentrations of the immune protein, which strengthens lung defenses instead of targeting specific viral mechanisms.
“This could have additional benefits in the treatment of Covid-19 infection when it occurs alongside infection by another respiratory virus, such as influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which may well occur in the winter months.”
The authors admitted that their study, while promising, had several limitations – most notably the small sample size.
There were also differences between the two groups in recruitment: patients in the SNG001 group had more severe disease at baseline and more patients had high blood pressure.
While in the placebo group there were a higher number of patients with diabetes and heart disease.
Diabetes and heart disease are two conditions that can make Covid-19 more deadly, which may have skewed the results of the study.
Dr. Nathan Peiffer-Smadja, an expert in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Imperial College Londo, said larger studies should be able to address these limitations.
Commenting on the study, he said: ‘The number of patients participating in this clinical pilot trial is of course small.
In addition, this study did not show any impact of the evaluated treatment on time to discharge nor on mortality, although the study clearly lacked the strength to answer the latter question.
Therefore, larger randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm these results.
He also added that the safety of inhaling interferon beta-1a using a nebulizer “will be of particular concern, as interferon nebulization is not yet licensed for any indication”.