Medical
experts have discovered a drug that reduces the risk of death in people with
COVID by up to 20%.
A
third drug was discovered during an Oxford University recovery trial to help COVID
patients recover at the hospital.
It
is the first drug to fight the virus directly, rather than prevent inflammation
in the body of a very sick person.
New
drug cuts deaths among patients with no Covid antibodies
This
drug, or combination of monoclonal antibodies, has been developed by Regeneron
and also works on patients who do not develop antibodies in response to
coronavirus disease.
30%
of such patients die if left untreated. While this rate is 15% in these
patients, which produces an antibody reaction against the virus.
This
is very important. What we have discovered we can use as an antiviral
treatment,” said Sir Martin Landrey, a professor at the Oxford Recovery
Trial. In this way, we can reduce the mortality rate of these patients. They do
not develop an antibody response to the virus and there is a risk of death in
one in three, but this drug can reduce the risk.
The
drug is based on a combination of two monoclonal antibodies, casirivimab
and imdevimab, developed in the laboratory, which binds spike proteins in
two different parts of the coronavirus to prevent them from entering cells.
Earlier,
in small trials in the United States, it was shown to be somewhat useful in
people and it was reported that its use at the onset of the disease could
reduce the chances of hospitalization by preventing the spread of the disease.
The
British trial included 9,785 cohort patients, of whom 30 percent did not have
antibodies against the virus, 50 percent had antibodies and the rest were
unclear.
The
trial reduced the mortality rate of those without antibodies from 30% to 24%,
saving the lives of six out of every 100 patients.
Their
hospital stay was reduced to 4 days and they were likely to go on a ventilator,
but the drug did not affect those who had antibodies.
The
researchers said that given the results, antibiotic tests for COVID patients on
admission to the hospital could become commonplace shortly so that the new drug
could be used accordingly.
Earlier,
British trials also discovered the steroid dexamethasone and the arthritis drug
tocilizumab, which helps save the lives of COVID-19 patients.
But
Sir Peter Horby, another professor of recovery trials, said the new drug could
only be available in rich countries.
“Such
antibodies are being used in rich countries to treat rheumatoid arthritis and
cancer, but they are not available in developing countries,” he said.
He
said that this new antibody drug is not available in developing countries nor
is it sold. But after the trial results, things are expected to change.
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