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According to a current announcement, the University of Medicine (MedUni) of Vienna is testing a possible drug for the treatment of COVID-19 as part of a clinical study.
While the development of vaccines against the new coronavirus is progressing rapidly, it is unlikely that they will be available later this year.
Therefore, it is hoped that it will be faster than possible to find medicines to treat those who are already infected.
An Austrian research team is testing an active ingredient that has already been developed.
The corona pandemic is working on strategies to curb the spread of the virus worldwide.
Above all, medicines are needed quickly, which can be used in particular for difficult courses.
Austrian researchers have now started testing with such an active ingredient.
COVID-19: The active ingredient is being tested for the treatment of lung failure
According to information, the synthetic peptide was originally developed for the treatment of acute lung failure and is now being tested for effectiveness in patients suffering from COVID-19.
Medicines that are already approved for another disease or are at least in development are currently being tested worldwide for coronavirus diseases.
Some of these medications can also cause serious side effects.
As MedUni Vienna explains, previous clinical data from COVID-19 patients at the hospital showed that 20 percent of those affected have acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is often characterized by pulmonary edema.
The agent was developed for the treatment of acute lung failure.
Currently, no medication is specifically approved for the therapeutic treatment of pulmonary permeability edema or ARDS.
“The active ingredient has already been tested in clinical studies for the treatment of lung failure and is about to be approved,” explains Markus Zeitlinger, head of the University Clinic for Clinical Pharmacology at MedUni Vienna and director of the study.
The new active ingredient Solnatide, a synthetic peptide developed by the Viennese company Apeptico GmbH, is already being tested at MedUni Vienna in the first people affected by COVID-19.
“We are now testing this on a total of 40 subjects with Covid-19, half of whom receive the drug, the other is assigned to a placebo control group.
Our hope is that lung diseases triggered by the corona virus will show easier courses with the new active ingredient, “said the expert.
This is said to reduce the extent of alveolar edema or accelerate its dissolution.
In addition to this effect, Solnatide counteracts other complications that are often seen in lung failure.
The active ingredient Solnatide is a synthetic peptide with less than 20 amino acids.
According to the communication, the expectations of previous clinical studies are that solnatide, which is introduced directly into the lower respiratory tract in the form of a liquid aerosol, activates the pulmonary channel of sodium ions (ENaC) to directly activate the elimination of the formation of fluid in the alveoli and blood leakage and Reduces the fluids of the capillaries.
“We are particularly pleased that years of preparatory work in this area can offer a therapy option for severe Covid-19 courses,” said Klaus Markstaller, head of the university clinic for anesthesia, general practice intensive care and pain therapy. .
According to the information, the study was accelerated in close consultation with the MedUni Vienna ethics committee and the authorities, and was carried out together with the University Clinic of Clinical Pharmacology of the University Clinic of Anesthesia, General Medicine of Intensive Care and Therapy. from pain.
