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Doctors and pharmacologists around the world are looking for a drug against coronavirus. Some hope has already been shattered. So also with Regeneron and Sanofi. They have to stop part of their study. Agent Kevzara does not appear to be an expected “panacea”.
The pharmaceutical companies Regeneron and Sanofi have suspended part of their clinical trials with a drug approved for the treatment of rheumatic joint diseases as a possible drug for patients with Covid-19. According to initial results, Agent Kevzara with the active ingredient sarilumab did not help. It was tested in hospitalized patients with a severe form of lung disease that did not have to be ventilated.
The companies said the study would continue with more seriously ill people who needed ventilation. Relatively small advantages over placebo treatments were found in these patients. The results should be available in June.
Regeneron did not want to give too much hope. “There is still hope that it can help, but in a more modest way than people expected,” said George D. Yancopoulos, Regeneron’s medical director. “It doesn’t seem like the magic bullet everyone would have liked for the pandemic.” The two companies began evaluating up to 400 patients in New York hospitals in mid-March.
Another drug was negative news last week. The Ebola drug Remdesivir was considered a beacon of hope and is being investigated in Covid 19 patients worldwide. The drug has had initial success with patients at the Schwabing Clinic in Munich. Last Thursday there was a surprising launch, according to which a Chinese study with remdesivir gave disappointing results. The media referred to a document published on the website of the World Health Organization, but it was quickly removed.
Both manufacturers and doctors reacted with a warning of premature conclusions. The study was terminated prematurely due to low participation, so no statistically significant conclusions were possible. Results of global studies are expected in late May.
