A single injection of a new antiviral treatment for COVID-19 in clinical trials halved the risk of hospitalization if infected, according to a study published Wednesday that the authors hope will lead to a new drug for patients.
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Even though COVID-19 is no longer in the headlines, the development of new treatment options remains crucial, especially in the face of new variants, Jeffrey Glenn, a Stanford University professor of immunology and co-author of the study, published in the journal NEJM.
In the United States, nearly 500 people still die from the disease every day.
The treatment in question uses interferons, crucial proteins in the immune response. They are shed in the presence of a virus and attach themselves to the receptors of certain cells, triggering “an innate antiviral defense mechanism” (as opposed to antibodies), Jeffrey Glenn explained.
There are different types of interferons, including those called lambdas. Their special feature: They attach themselves particularly to the cells of the lungs – exactly where COVID-19 is widespread.
Treatment consists of an injection of a synthetic version of lambda interferons within 7 days of the onset of the first symptoms of COVID-19.
It was tested in a clinical trial on more than 1,900 adults infected with COVID in Brazil and Canada between June 2021 and February 2022. About 85% of patients were vaccinated.
Of the 931 people who received the treatment, 25 were hospitalized, compared with 57 of the 1,018 people who received a placebo, a 51% reduction, according to the study. Results are even better when unvaccinated patients are isolated.
“It’s spectacular,” commented Jeffrey Glenn, who founded the biopharmaceutical company Eiger (he still owns shares in the company) that developed the treatment.
This one-shot treatment offers a practical advantage over Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid, which requires taking dozens of pills over five days, he argued.
And some treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines, have gradually lost their effectiveness in the face of new variants. Because interferons interact with cells, treatment is unaffected by how the virus develops.
According to Eiger Biopharmaceutical, which previously published these results in a press release, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not respond to an emergency use authorization request.
But Mr Glenn was optimistic: “I hope this study will help encourage regulators here and around the world to find a way to get (this treatment) to patients as quickly as possible.” »