A single injection of a new antiviral treatment for Covid-19 has halved the risk of hospitalization in case of infection in clinical trials, according to a study. Its authors hope that it will lead to a new medicine for patients.
ATS
Even if Covid-19 is no longer in the headlines, the development of new treatment options remains crucial, especially in the face of new variants, said Wednesday Jeffrey Glenn, professor of immunology at Stanford University and co-author. of the study, published in the journal NEJM. Nearly 500 people still die from the disease every day in the United States.
The treatment in question uses interferons, crucial proteins in the immune response. They are secreted in the presence of a virus and attach themselves to the receptors of certain cells, thus triggering “an innate antiviral defense mechanism” (distinct from antibodies), explained Jeffrey Glenn.
There are several types of interferons, including those called lambdas. Their particularity is that they attach themselves in particular to the cells of the lungs, precisely where the Covid-19 is rife.
“It’s spectacular”
The treatment consists of an injection of a synthetic version of lambda interferons, within 7 days after the appearance of the first symptoms of Covid-19. It was tested in a clinical trial on more than 1,900 adults infected with the coronavirus, between June 2021 and February 2022, in Brazil and Canada. 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 reduction of 51%, according to the study. The results are even better by isolating unvaccinated patients.
“It’s spectacular,” commented Jeffrey Glenn, who founded the company Eiger biopharmaceuticals 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. As the interferons interact with the cells, the treatment will not be affected by the evolution of the virus.
ATS
