The preliminary results of a clinical trial by Southampton-based biotech Synairgen suggest a new treatment for Covid-19 reduces the number of patients needing intensive care, according to the UK company that developed it.
The trial used a protein called interferon beta which the body produces when it gets a viral infection.
The results have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, nor has the full data been made available. But if the results are as the company says, it will be a very important step forward in the treatment of coronavirus infections.
The protein is inhaled directly into the lungs of patients with coronavirus, using a nebuliser, in the hope that it will stimulate an immune response.
Synairgen said its SNG001 formulation uses a protein called interferon beta, which the body produces when it gets a viral infection, and is inhaled directly into the lungs of patients with coronavirus, using a nebuliser, in the hope that it will stimulate an immune response.
“This assessment of SNG001 in COVID-19 patients could signal a major breakthrough in the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients,” said Richard Marsden, CEO of Synairgen, a respiratory drug discovery and development company which originated from research at the University of Southampton.
“We are all delighted with the trial results announced today, which showed that SNG001 greatly reduced the number of hospitalised COVID-19 patients who progressed from ‘requiring oxygen’ to ‘requiring ventilation’. It also showed that patients who received SNG001 were at least twice as likely to recover to the point where their everyday activities were not compromised through having been infected by SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19),” he said.
In addition, SNG001 significantly reduced breathlessness, one of the main symptoms of severe Covid-19, the company said, which is now focused on working with the regulators and other key groups to progress the potential Covid-19 treatment as rapidly as possible.
The results are also consistent with what is known about IFN-beta. Naturally produced by the body’s immune system, this protein orchestrates the response to viral infections.
Since Covid-19 first emerged last December, studies have shown that older people and those with chronic health conditions – two of the most vulnerable groups of Covid-19 patients – also have relatively low IFN-beta levels.
It is also known that coronaviruses – including Sars-CoV-2, responsible for Covid-19 – can suppress the production of the protein.
This has led researchers to suspect that giving patients IFN-beta following infection could improve the chances of survival.
Promising results with patients with Sars and Mers led the World Health Organisation to include IFN-beta in its list of potentially useful treatments for Covid-19 when used with other drugs. However, there has been concern that its effectiveness depends on how it is administered.
