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LONDON: Researchers at the University of Oxford are planning to test a drug that has shown signs of reduced deaths from COVID-19 in developing countries.
The Principle trial aims to find a drug that works soon after symptoms of the virus appear in a patient, and that is most effective during the early stages of the disease, the Times reported.
The trial evaluates ivermectin, a drug used on livestock and people infected with parasitic worms, which has been hailed by some as a “wonder drug” with the potential to save thousands of lives, the report adds.
Other scientists said the drug had not been properly evaluated and the extent of its effectiveness was not yet known.
“It has potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties and there have been many smaller trials in low- and middle-income countries showing that it speeds healing, reduces inflammation and reduces hospital admissions,” said Chris Butler, teacher of primary care. at Oxford and co-leader of the Principe trial. “But there is a data gap. There wasn’t a really rigorous trial.
The drug works by blocking the entry of a protein into a cell’s nuclei, limiting the virus’s ability to replicate, and the World Health Organization’s initial analysis has shown some promising signs.
“It could save thousands of lives a day,” said Paul Marik, of Eastern Virginia Medical School. “The data is compelling: in Mexico, India and South America, mortality has dropped.”
Peter Horby, the University of Oxford professor who helped set up the UK’s largest COVID-19 trials, said this month the latest data was “interesting, perhaps encouraging, but not yet convincing. “
Most of the breakthroughs in coronavirus treatments to date work on patients who are already suffering in the later stages of the disease, but Butler and his team hope to find a drug that can prevent the virus from taking hold in its host.
The trial searches for people aged 65 and over, or people over the age of 50 with underlying health conditions, through GPs, online and through the UK Test and Trace System NHS, the Times said.
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