British pharmaceutical company Synairgen has claimed that its new respiratory coronavirus treatment has reduced the number of hospitalized patients with Covid-19 needing intensive care in a clinical trial.
The company said that their nebulizer treatment produced a 79% lower risk of patients developing serious illness than those who received a placebo in the initial trials, and that patients who received the treatment “were more than twice as likely to recover (defined as “no limitation of activities” or “no clinical or virological evidence of infection”) over the course of the treatment period compared to those receiving placebo, “Synairgen said.
However, the study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, nor has the full data been made publicly available.
The drug, SNG001, is a formulation of a naturally occurring antiviral protein called interferon beta inhaled directly into the lungs, in hopes of stimulating an immune response. Treatment aims to prevent infected patients who deteriorate from requiring oxygen placement on a ventilator.
“This evaluation of SNG001 in patients with Covid-19 could indicate a breakthrough in the treatment of hospitalized patients with Covid-19,” said Synairgen CEO Richard Marsden.
“Our efforts are now focused on working with regulators and other key groups to advance this potential Covid-19 treatment as quickly as possible.”
The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial studied 101 patients from nine specialist UK hospital centers between March 30 and May 27.
The trial’s principal investigator, Professor Tom Wilkinson, praised a “momentous coordinated effort” and said the results confirmed the researchers’ belief that interferon beta has “tremendous potential as an inhaled drug to restore the lung’s immune response, enhancing protection and speeding recovery and counteracting impact. “
Synairgen will now have to present the findings to regulators around the world and hope to follow the remdesivir of antiviral drugs to receive emergency approval from the British government.
British investment bank FinnCap tripled Synairgen’s target price from 120p per share to 360p per share in response to the news.
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