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An inhaled formulation interferon beta-1a, first tested in Covid-19 patients in the UK, reduced their chances of getting worse and dying from the disease, increasing their chances of recovery. The results were encouraging and support further study of this drug, according to the scientists, as cases are increasing around the world and doctors in the midst of a pandemic are eagerly seeking new “weapons” in the fight against coronavirus.
The researchers, led by Professor Tom Wilkinson of the University of Southampton, who published the study in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal, conducted a randomized clinical trial in nine UK hospitals comparing the results of a journal. inhaled form of this interferon (called SNG001), with placebo for up to two weeks. 101 patients were followed up to 28 days after starting treatment.
Interferon beta is a protein that coordinates the body’s immune response to viral infections. Laboratory studies have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus directly suppresses the production of this interferon, while clinical trials have shown reduced activity of this important protein in Covid-19 patients.
The inhaled formulation SNG001, which contains interferon beta and reaches the lungs directly, has already been tested in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The new phase 2 study was the first to evaluate its safety and efficacy in Covid-19 patients, and the findings are encouraging. The patients who took the drug were more than twice as likely to recover from the disease than the placebo group.
Twenty-two percent of the control group patients who did not take the drug developed severe Covid-19 symptoms or died, compared to 13% in the SNG001 group. During the 14-day interferon treatment, 44% of the patients who had taken the drug recovered, compared with 22% in the placebo group. At 28 days after starting treatment, patients taking SNG001 were more than three times more likely to recover than controls. In terms of drug safety, the most frequently reported side effects were headaches (about half of those who took the drug), while some patients had more serious side effects.
The researchers, who are also evaluating the drug’s effectiveness in coronavirus patients who have not been admitted to the hospital, said the clinical trial justifies testing the drug with larger studies. “The results confirm our belief that interferon beta, a well-known drug approved for use in injectable form for other conditions, has the potential as an inhaled drug to restore the immune response of the lungs and accelerate recovery from Covid-19.” . Dr. Wilkinson said.
On the other hand, according to the new study from the same medical journal, the results of the large international clinical trial SOLIDARITY / DiscoVeRy have so far failed to show the benefit of the same interferon, when injected into patients treated with Covid-19, possibly because the drug does not reach the lungs in a direct and targeted way, as when administered by inhalation
Source: ΑΠΕ – ΜΠΕ
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