A British pharmaceutical company said Monday that positive results from a clinical trial of a new coronavirus respiratory treatment could indicate a “breakthrough” in the global fight to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Synairgen, a respiratory drug discovery and development company, said in a press release that an initial trial showed that the odds of developing serious illness were reduced by 79 percent for hospitalized patients receiving their nebulizer treatment compared with those who received a placebo.
Patients who received the drug, SNG001, were also said to be more than twice as likely to recover and to have no limitation of activities “over the course of the treatment period compared to those who received a placebo,” the company said.
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, also found that dyspnea “decreased markedly” in patients who received the treatment versus those who received the placebo.
“We are all delighted with the results of the trials announced today, which showed that SNG001 greatly reduced the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who progressed from ‘requiring oxygen’ to ‘requiring ventilation,'” said the CEO of Synairgen, Richard Marsden, in a statement. “This evaluation of SNG001 in patients with COVID-19 could indicate a significant advance in the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Our efforts now focus on working with regulators and other key groups to advance this possible COVID treatment- 19 as fast as possible. Possible. “
Synairgen conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 101 patients from several different hospitals between March 20 and May 27. The drug being studied is SNG001, Synairgen’s inhaled formulation of an antiviral protein called interferon beta.
Tom Wilkinson, the trial’s chief investigator, said in a statement that the results confirmed the belief that interferon beta “has enormous potential as an inhaled medication to restore the lung’s immune response, improve protection, accelerate recovery and counteract the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus “.
Synairgen will need to present the trial’s findings to regulators before receiving approval from the British government for widespread use, according to CNBC. Fortune reported that the company’s shares soared 370 percent after the company released the results of its trial.
The results are released when health officials around the world work to develop treatments for a viral infection that has infected millions of people around the world.
Remdesivir, the treatment developed by Gilead Sciences, received emergency authorization from the US in early May to treat patients with COVID-19. The company released test results earlier this month that show it helped reduce mortality by about 60 percent in extremely ill patients.
.
