Scientists believe they have found an inhaler (photo) that prevents the coronavirus from progressing into the lungs
In a hospital in Hull, a mass trial of a drug for multiple sclerosis, which according to researchers hope, greatly reduces the chances of coronavirus patients becoming seriously ill.
The first patient in the study of a drug known as SNG001 received treatment at the Hull Royal Infirmary on Tuesday.
Previous trials have yielded promising results, with only 13 per cent of patients requiring intensive care treatment compared with 22 per cent receiving a placebo.
Patients treated with the drug were also twice as likely to recover after two weeks as those who did not, according to research from Southampton University.
SNG001 uses a naturally occurring protein called interferon beta, which the body produces when fighting viral infections.
Interferon beta is a treatment for multiple sclerosis and is usually given by injection. But SNG001 is inhaled into the lungs using a nebulizer to elicit a stronger, more targeted antiviral response.
Kaye Flitney was one of 98 people enrolled in last year’s clinical trial led by Southampton University
Scientists believe that Covid-19 shuts down the immune system’s ability to produce the protein in high doses, with the new treatment giving the lungs an essential ‘supplement’.
The drug was developed by workers at Southampton University Hospital and is manufactured by the biotechnology company Synairgen.
Treating a patient can cost in the region of £ 2000, which is relatively inexpensive compared to alternatives.
At the Hull Royal Infirmary, Alexandra Constantin (34) was the first person to receive treatment as part of this new trial, after she was admitted to hospital with coronavirus on Monday, reports the BBC.
The last study after treatment was published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine in November and looked at 98 hospital patients with the virus between March and May, at the height of Britain’s epidemic.
They were divided in half, with one group receiving the new treatment, and the other group receiving a placebo.
The trial was conducted on a double-blind basis, meaning that neither the researchers nor the 98 patients knew who was receiving SNG001.
In the placebo group, 11 (22 percent) of 50 patients were transferred to the ICU or needed mechanical ventilation after two weeks. Three were eventually killed.
Of those who received SNG001, only six (13 percent) of the 48 patients had serious illnesses and there were no deaths.
At the end of the two-week period, patients with the drug would be twice as likely to return to full health.
A total of 21 (44 percent) in the SNG001 group recovered during that time, compared with 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 well-known drug approved for use in its injectable form for other indications, may have the potential if an inhaled agent to restore the immune response of the lung and accelerate the recovery of Covid-19.
‘Inhalation interferon beta-1a provides high, local concentrations of the immune protein, which increases lung resistance rather than targeting specific viral mechanisms.
“It may have additional benefits in treating Covid-19 infection if it occurs with another respiratory virus, such as influenza or respiratory synthesis virus (RSV), which may occur during the winter months.”
The authors acknowledged that, although promising, their study had several limitations, particularly the small sample size.
There were also differences between the two groups during recruitment – patients in the SNG001 group had more serious diseases at baseline and more patients had high blood pressure.
While in the placebo group there were a greater number of patients with diabetes and heart disease.
Diabetes and heart disease are two conditions that can make Covid-19 more lethal, which may have skewed the trial results.
Dr Nathan Peiffer-Smadja, an expert in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Imperial College Londo, said larger trials should be able to handle these limitations.
Responding to the study, he said: ‘Of course, the number of patients enrolled in this clinical trial is small.
‘In addition, this study showed no effect of the evaluated treatment on time to discharge or on mortality, although the study was obviously unable to respond to the latter question.
“Larger randomized clinical trials are therefore needed to confirm these results.”
He also added that the safety of inhaling interferon beta-1a using a nebulizer ‘will be of special importance as the destruction of interferon does not yet have a marketing authorization for an indication’.