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the at a time when Greece also welcomed first vaccinations for the coronavirus (first it came to her Pfizer), up to date Christmas, another optimistic news in the field of the fight against the pandemic saw the light.
In particular, British scientists are testing a new drug which could save lives according to experts, since it prevents someone who has been exposed to the virus manifest Covid-19 infection. This “Guardian” reports in a post.
Antibody therapy will provide immediate immunity against the disease and could be given as emergency treatment to hospitalized patients and caregivers. thus helping to reduce outbreaks. Also, people who live in homes where someone has Covid-19 they might take the medicine to make sure they don’t get infected.
According to the report, specific treatment could also be given to college students, where the virus spreads faster because they live, study and socialize together.
Dr. Catherine Houlihan, a virologist at the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust (UCLH), who is leading a study called Storm Chaser on the drug, said: “If we can show that this treatment works and prevents people exposed to the virus from developing Covid-19, it would be a fascinating addition to the arsenal to combat this terrible virus.”
The drug has been developed by UCLH and “AstraZeneca“, The pharmaceutical company that, together with the University of Oxford, created a vaccine that is expected to be approved by the Medicines and Health Regulatory Service in the UK next week. The team hopes that tests will show that the antibody cocktail protects against Covid-19 for six to 12 months. Test participants take it in two doses, one after the other. If approved, it will be offered to someone who has been exposed to the virus in the past eight days.
According to the publication, if approved by the competent authority and after verifying the study data, the drug could be available in March or April. In the tests they cooperate ULCH (University College London Hospitals NHS Trust), many other UK hospitals and a network of 100 points around the world. This month, University College Hospital became the first point in the world to attract patients to a randomized controlled trial and administer the drug or a placebo.
“To date, we have injected 10 participants – staff, students and others – exposed to the virus at home, in a health center or in student dormitories “, reHoulihan said. She and her colleagues will closely follow the participants to see which of them will develop Covid-19.
The immediate protection that the drug promises could play a vital role in reducing the effects of the virus until everyone is immune. The vaccination program with the “Pfizer/BioNTech»It is already underway and is expected to last until next summer. “The advantage of this drug is that it provides immediate antibodies,” Houlihan said. “We could tell test participants who have been exposed: yes, they can get the vaccine. But we wouldn’t tell them it would protect them from the disease, because it’s too late by then.” And that’s because the Pfizer and Oxford does not provide complete immunity for about a month. “
Paul Hunter is professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia specializing in infectious diseases, said the new treatment could significantly reduce the number of deaths from Covid. “If you have outbreaks in settings such as care centers or if you have patients who are at particular risk of developing severe Covid disease, such as the elderly, this could save many lives. Once the Phase 3 trials are confirmed, it could play an important role in keeping people alive who would otherwise die. That’s why it has to be very important. “ he said.
“If you’ve had an outbreak in a care facility, you may want to use these antibody cocktails to get the outbreak under control as soon as possible by administering the drug to all people, residents and staff, who have not been vaccinated.” So if you live with your elderly grandmother and you or someone else in the house gets infected, then you could give her this to protect her. ” he continued …
How the new coronavirus drug works
The drug contains a combination of a long-acting antibody known as AZD7442, which has been developed by “AstraZeneca». Instead of antibodies produced by the body to help fight one infection, AZD7442 uses laboratory-generated monoclonal antibodies.
In documents from a clinical trial in which AstraZeneca is registered in the United States, he explains that he is investigating “the efficacy of AZD7442 for prophylaxis after exposure to Covid-19 in adults.” THE Sars-CoV-2 spike protein contains RBD virus [περιοχή δέσμευσης υποδοχέα], which allows the virus to bind to receptors on human cells. By targeting this region of the virus protein, the antibodies can prevent the virus from attaching to human cells and are therefore expected to block infection.
In a separate trial, called Provent, UCLH investigates whether the drug It could also protect people with weakened immune systems, such as those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and who have recently been exposed to the virus but have not been vaccinated. or they have not acquired immunity even if they have been vaccinated due to their underlying condition. The Provent and Storm Chaser tests are now in phase 3.
Dr. Nicky Longley, infectious disease consultant at UCLH, who is leading the second study, said: “We will recruit people who are older or in long-term care and have diseases such as cancer and HIV that can affect the ability of their immune systems to respond to a vaccine.” We want to assure anyone for whom a vaccine does not work that we can offer an alternative that is just as protective. “
Both tests are carried out in the new Vaccine Research Center of the UCLH, funded by the research arm of the NHS, the National Institutes of Health, led by Professor Vincenzo Libri.
Dr Richard Jarvis, Co-Chair of the British Medical Association Public Health Committee, said: “For the vast majority of the population, the vaccine offers the best protection against Covid-19, and NHS staff work 24 hours a day to vaccinate as many vulnerable patients as possible in this first phase of its availability. Certainly It will be interesting to see if these tests are effective. “It is important, however, that new therapies are researched, tested and, most importantly, safe before considering their introduction.”.
Remember that initially in Greece (for Operation Eleftheria) came the “Pfizer / BioNtech” vaccine (see full details here), which is also the first against the coronavirus that approved in the EU. the The Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine has also been approved in the US., while already Vaccinations have been ongoing in the UK for weeks..
Source: ethnos.gr
