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UK experts are testing an exciting new drug that could provide instant immunity against Covid.
The new antibody treatment, which could provide immediate protection to people exposed to the coronavirus, could be available in March, experts say.
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It could be given as an emergency treatment to nursing home residents, hospitalized patients and students in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.
Experts believe it could save thousands of lives.
The University College London Hospitals NHS Trust (UCLH) is currently looking for an antibody that can offer long-term protection to patients when it would be too late to offer a vaccine, as part of a new trial called Storm Chaser.
Antibodies are protein molecules that the body makes to help fight infection.
The study investigators, led by UCLH virologist Dr. Catherine Houlihan, have recruited their first participants.
They believe that the antibody, known as AZD7442 and developed by AstraZeneca, may offer immediate and long-term protection to people who have recently been exposed to the virus.
This would prevent them from developing Covid-19.
Scientists hope the test will show that the antibodies protect against the coronavirus for between six and 12 months.
Dr Houlihan said: “We know that this combination of antibodies can neutralize the virus.
“So we hope to find out that giving this treatment by injection can lead to immediate protection against the development of Covid-19 in people who have been exposed, when it would be too late to offer a vaccine.”
According to The Guardian, if successful, antibody treatment could help reduce the impact of the coronavirus until everyone in the UK is immunized.
“The advantage of this drug is that it provides immediate antibodies,” explained Dr. Houlihan.
She added: “If we can show that this treatment works and prevent people exposed to the virus from developing Covid-19, it would be an exciting addition to the arsenal of weapons that are being developed to combat this terrible virus.”
So far, UCLH has injected ten people with the antibody drug as part of Storm Chaser at its new vaccine research facility.
This came after the study entered phase three trials on December 2, with the goal of testing the new treatment in 1,125 people worldwide.
Key groups in the trial include healthcare workers, students living in shared accommodations, and patients who have recently been exposed to anyone with Covid-19.
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It is also aimed at people receiving long-term care, military and industrial personnel, such as factory workers.
AstraZeneca Executive Vice President Mene Pangalos said the antibody “has the potential to be an important preventive and therapeutic medicine against Covid-19, targeting the most vulnerable patients.”
AstraZeneca has also created a vaccine with the University of Oxford that is awaiting approval for use by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Scientists have also started a second clinical trial called Provent.
This research examines the use of the antibody in people who may not benefit from vaccines.
For example, patients with a compromised immune system or those at increased risk of Covid-19 infection due to factors such as age and existing conditions.
Antibody treatments may offer an alternative to groups of patients who cannot benefit from a vaccine.
Professor Stephen Powis
Older people and those in long-term care, as well as people with diseases such as cancer and HIV, will be recruited to participate in the Provent trial.
NHS England National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis said: “These two clinical trials are an important addition to testing new therapeutic approaches.
“Antibody treatments may offer an alternative to groups of patients who cannot benefit from a vaccine, such as immunosuppressed patients.”
UCLH infectious disease consultant Dr. Nicky Longley said of Provent’s research: “We will hire people who are elderly or in long-term care, and have conditions such as cancer and HIV that can affect the ability of their immune systems. for a vaccine.
“We want to assure anyone for whom a vaccine does not work that we can offer an alternative that is equally protective.”
Both the Provent project and the Storm Chaser will see an evaluation of whether the treatment reduces the risk of developing Covid-19 and / or reduces the severity of the infection compared to a placebo.
Dr Longley added: “We want to assure anyone for whom a vaccine does not work that we can offer an alternative that is equally protective.”
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Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, told The Guardian that the new antibody drug could “save many lives.”
He said: “As long as it is confirmed in phase three trials, it could play an important role in keeping people alive who would otherwise die. So it should be something important.”
It could be especially useful in nursing homes when there is a coronavirus outbreak, he added.
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