Scientists believe they have found an inhaler (pictured) that blocks coronavirus from progressing in the lungs
An inhaled drug that clears coronavirus in the lungs can prevent three in four patients from falling seriously ill with the disease, according to scientists trialling the experimental treatment.
Initial results from the trial of more than 100 hospitalised Covid-19 patients found it prevented 79 per cent of people from needing intensive care.
The treatment also slashed the average time patients spent in hospital by a third, down from an average of nine days to just six.
The drug – known as SNG001 – uses a protein called interferon beta which the body produces when it gets a viral infection.
It has been developed by Southampton-based pharmaceutical firm Synairgen and trialled by researchers from the city’s university.
The treatment sees patients inhale the drug directly into the lungs using a nebuliser, where it helps the immune system fight off viral infection.
The preliminary results from the trial haven’t yet been verified because the research hasn’t been published in a scientific journal or scrutinised by other scientists.
But independent experts say it would ‘represent by far the biggest breakthrough in Covid-19 treatment to date’ if the results are verified.
The only drug scientifically proven to treat the disease at present is a £5 steriod known as dexamethasone, which slashes death rates by up to a third.
Kaye Flitney is one of the 101 people enrolled in the clinical trial carried out by British pharmaceutical firm Synairgen
Because Southampton-based Synairgen is a publicly traded company, it was obligated to release the preliminary results due to stock market rules.
The trial involved 101 Covid-19 patients who had been admitted at nine UK hospitals and required oxygen support. Half of the recruits were given the drug, while the rest took a placebo.
The trial was carried out on a double blind basis, meaning neither the researchers nor the 101 patients knew who was receiving SNG001.
It found the odds of developing severe disease – needing ventilation or dying – was reduced by 79 per cent in those receiving the drug compared to the control group.
SNG001 uses a protein called interferon beta, which our bodies produce during a viral infection.
The inhaler turns SNG001 into a fine mist so it can be breathed deep into the lungs, with the hope it will trigger a stronger, more targeted anti-viral response.
Interferon beta is already used as an injection to boost the immune response of people with multiple sclerosis.
The trial’s chief investigator, Tom Wilkinson, professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton, said if the results are replicated in larger studies it will be ‘a game changer’.
He added: ‘The results confirm our belief that interferon beta, a widely known drug that, by injection, has been approved for use in a number of other indications, has huge potential as an inhaled drug to be able to restore the lungs’ immune response, enhancing protection, accelerating recovery and countering the impact of Sars-CoV-2 virus.’
Stephen Holgate CBE, professor of immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton, said recognising that the coronavirus ‘is known to have evolved to evade the initial antiviral response of the lung’ was a valuable insight.
‘Our treatment of giving high local concentrations of interferon beta, a naturally occurring antiviral protein, restores the lungs ability to neutralise the virus,’ added Professor Holgate, who is also the co-founder of Synairgen.
He said it would work on ‘any mutation of the virus or co-infection with another respiratory virus such as RSV or influenza, as could be encountered in the winter if there is a resurgence of COVID-19’.
Reacting to the findings, Professor Francois Balloux, a geneticist at University College London, tweeted: ‘Preliminary results from a clinical trial suggest interferon beta reduces the risk of developing severe #COVID19 disease by 79 per cent.
‘If confirmed, this would represent by far the biggest breakthrough in #COVID19 treatment to date.’
Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, added: ‘The results seem very impressive, and although accepted that the trial is small with just over 100 participants, a 79 per cent reduction in disease severity could be a game changer.
‘It would be good to see the full results once presented and peer-reviewed to make sure they are robust and the trial conduct was rigorous.
‘Also, with small numbers comes less certainty on the true level of benefit, or whether benefits vary between people with differing risk characteristics. Such work would require a larger trial but, even so, these results are very exciting.’
Synairgen will now have to present its findings to medical regulators around the world, which will review the findings and decide whether to approve the treatment so doctors can treat Covid-19 patients with it.
Because the study was quite small – only looking at 100 patients – the trial may have to be scaled up before getting approval.
This process could take months, although Governments around the world might be open to fast-tracking the drug if they are impressed by the findings.
British ministers have approved the Ebola drug remdesivir for emergency use on patients suffering life-threatening symptoms of Covid – despite evidence about its effectiveness still being mixed.
Only one drug — the £5 steroid dexamethasone — has currently been conclusively proven to treat coronavirus.
The Recovery trial found it reduced the risk of death by 35 per cent for patients relying on ventilators — the most dangerously ill — and by a fifth for all patients needing oxygen at any point.