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BBC Overview
Kaye Flitney is one in 75 people enrolled in the scientific trial.
A new drug developed by UK scientists to deal with patients with Covid-19 is being tested at Southampton University Hospital.
Developed by British biotech firm Synairgen, it uses a protein known as interferon beta, which our bodies make once we have a viral infection.
Initial test results are slated for late June.
At this time, there are few efficient coronavirus therapies with documents that support the immune methods of patients.
What is the new medicine?
Interferon beta is part of the body’s first line of defense against viruses, and it warns you that it anticipates a viral attack, explains Richard Marsden, head of government for Southampton-based Synairgen.
He says that the coronavirus appears to suppress its manufacture as part of his technique to evade our immune methods.
The drug is a particular formulation of interferon beta that is sent to the airways when the virus is present, in the hope that a direct dose of the protein will trigger a stronger antiviral response even in patients whose immune methods are already weak. .
Interferon beta is generally used in the treatment of a series of sclerosis.
Synairgen has already shown that its preparation can stimulate the immune response within the lungs of patients with bronchial asthma and different situations of lung power.
But we can only know if it really works or not for those who suffer from Covid-19 after having undergone a rigorous scientific trial.
The affected person
Kaye Flitney is one in 75 people who have signed up for the scientific trial, filmed only by BBC Panorama. It requires Covid-19 patients, like her, to inhale the drug through a nebulizer to transmit it deep into the lungs.
Kaye, 67, struggles to sit on the hospital mattress and coughs as she places the dispenser to her lips. She says that when she found out that she had coronavirus, her first thought was not for her personal well-being.
“I was scared because my husband has heart failure. I would kill him.
The 67-year-old woman, who was taken to the hospital as a result of a problem along with her respiratory system, said taking the drug did not cause her much discomfort.
“You don’t realize you’re taking it until you’re done. It’s not that bad. I saw myself taking it home.”
How does the trial work?
The 75 volunteers involved so far have been recruited from about 10 hospitals in Britain. Half receive the medicine, the other half receive what is called a placebo, an inactive substance.
No one involved in the trial knows which patients have received which treatment until the trial ends.
“If you know it is a drug, your mind may be biased,” explains Sandy Aitken, the nurse who administers the drug.
The hope is that it will present patients who get the drug significantly better performance than those who don’t, says Professor Tom Wilkinson of the University of Southampton.
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BBC Overview
BBC Justin Rowlatt with nurse Sandy Aitken at the bedside of an affected person
The Synairgen drug trial is the template for a new accelerated scientific scheme that has simply been organized by the federal government.
The Accord program, as identified, is designed to accelerate the event of new medications for Covid-19 sufferers.
The first section of the program involves six different medications.
More than 100 therapies are being explored worldwide and a drug called remdesivir, which was developed as an Ebola treatment, has generated specific pleasure.
US officials have claimed that there is “clear” evidence that it helps people recover from the coronavirus.
How distant could the UK treatment be?
Initial results of the interferon beta assay are anticipated for the end of June. But even when the drug is promising, it will face additional scrutiny before it can be routinely used in patients.
That could take months, although the federal government has stated that it will work as quickly as possible.
If considered efficient, the drug and the nebulizers used to deliver it should be made in large portions.
Marsden says he is already talking to suppliers around the world about whether or not it is likely to be possible to start producing the drug so quickly because the scientific trial has ended.
However, he says, however, it might not be widely available until the first 12 months.
You can see Panorama: When will we be safe? at 7:30 p.m. BST on Monday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
