Scientists believe they have found an inhaler (pictured) that prevents coronavirus from progressing to the lungs
A massive trial of a reused multiple sclerosis drug that researchers hope will greatly reduce the chances of coronavirus patients getting seriously ill has begun at a Hull hospital.
The first patient in the trial of a drug known as SNG001 received treatment Tuesday at Hull Royal Infirmary.
Previous trials produced promising results, with only 13% of patients needing intensive care treatment compared to 22% who received a placebo.
According to research from the University of Southampton, patients treated with the drug were also twice as likely to recover after two weeks than those who were not.
SNG001 uses a natural protein called interferon beta that the body produces when it fights viral infections.
Beta interferon is a treatment for multiple sclerosis and is usually given by injection. But SNG001 is inhaled into the lungs using a nebulizer to elicit a stronger, more targeted antiviral response.
Kaye Flitney was one of 98 people enrolled in last year’s clinical trial led by the University of Southampton
Scientists believe that Covid-19 shuts down the immune system’s ability to produce protein in high doses, with the new treatment providing the lungs with an essential recharge.
The drug was developed by workers at Southampton University Hospital and is being produced by biotechnology company Synairgen.
Treating a patient could cost around £ 2,000, which is considered relatively cheap compared to the alternatives.
At the Royal Hull Infirmary, Alexandra Constantin, 34, was the first person to receive treatment as part of this new trial, after she was admitted to hospital with coronavirus on Monday, the BBC reported.
The latest study on treatment was published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine in November and examined 98 hospital patients with the virus between March and May, in the midst of the British epidemic.
They were split in half, with one group receiving the new treatment and the other group receiving a placebo.
The trial was conducted in double-blind, i.e., neither the researchers nor the 98 patients knew who was receiving SNG001.
In the placebo group, 11 (22%) of 50 patients were transferred to the ICU or needed mechanical ventilation after fifteen days. Three eventually died.
Of those who received SNG001, only six (13%) of 48 patients developed serious illnesses and there were no fatalities.
Patients with the drug were also twice as likely to return to full health at the end of the two-week period.
A total of 21 (44%) of the SNG001 group recovered at that time, compared with 11 (22%) patients in the placebo group.
Senior Professor Tom Wilkinson, a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton, said: “The results confirm our belief that beta interferon, a widely known drug approved for use in injectable form for other indications, may have the potential for inhaled drug to restore the lung’s immune response and accelerate Covid-19 recovery.
Inhaled beta-1a interferon provides high local concentrations of immune protein, which increases lung defenses rather than targeting specific viral mechanisms.
“This may lead to additional benefits in the treatment of Covid-19 infection when it occurs in conjunction with infection with another respiratory virus, such as influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can be found during the months of ‘winter’.
The authors have admitted that, despite being promising, their study had several limitations, most notably its small sample size.
There were also differences between the two groups at the time of recruitment: patients in the SNG001 group had more serious illnesses at first and there were more patients with high blood pressure.
While in the placebo group, there were a higher number of patients with diabetes and heart disease.
Diabetes and heart disease are two conditions that can make Covid-19 more deadly, which may have skewed the test results.
Dr. Nathan Peiffer-Smadja, an expert in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Imperial College Londo, said larger trials should be able to address these limitations.
Reacting to the study, he said: “The number of patients enrolled in this pilot clinical trial is, of course, small.
‘Furthermore, this study did not show any impact of the treatment assessed in time or for mortality, although obviously the study was not able to answer this last question.
“Therefore, larger randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm these results.”
He also added that the safety of inhaling interferon beta-1a using a nebulizer “will be of special interest as interferon nebulization does not yet have a marketing authorization for any indication.”