Israel hospital says new COVD-19 therapy cured a majority of patients within days
A Phase 1 trial has demonstrated that a new coronavirus treatment helped patients with moderate-to-serious COVID-19 to recover within days, Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center said on Friday, according to The Times of Israel.
Out of 30 patients with moderate or severe COVID-19, who received EXO-CD24, 29 have recovered within three to five days. The recovery took “a few days” longer for the other patient, said professor Nadir Arber, the lead researcher.
“The new compound is inhaled once a day for a few minutes, for five days,” Arber said, adding that the trial led to a success rate of 96%. It fights the cytokine storm, an overreaction of the immune system against the virus, which can, eventually, lead to death.
EXO-CD24 uses exosomes - important for intercellular communication and function - to deliver a protein named CD24 to the lungs. According to Shiran Shapira, a researcher in Arber’s research team, CD24 located on the surface of cells ‘has a well-known and important role in regulating the immune system,’ helping to control the cytokine storm.
“The preparation is directed straight to the heart of the storm — the lungs — so unlike other formulas… which selectively restrain a certain cytokine, or operate widely but cause many serious side effects, EXO-CD24 is administered locally, works broadly and without side effects,” commented Arber.
The investigational therapy now advances to further clinical trials. Israeli media have already hailed the results as “a huge breakthrough.”
Meanwhile, based on the trial conducted in the U.K. in critically ill COVID-19 patients, the rheumatoid arthritis drug Tocilizumab, from Chugai (OTCPK:CHGCY) and Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY), has reduced the mortality rate to 27.3% in combination with sarilumab, from Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY), compared to 35.8% in patients receiving only the current standard of care.
Therefore, with a 24% relative decline in risk of death, the combination of immunosuppressive drugs, administered intravenously within 24 hours of entering intensive care, has also helped patients to leave the ICU between 7 - 10 days earlier on average.
The results have prompted the U.K. health authorities to update COVID-19 guidance, encouraging the use of tocilizumab in severely ill patients.