CINCINNATI (WKRC) – A new study could help us discover if a drug, often used in cancer treatment, might help in the fight against COVID-19.
This breakthrough trial, kicked off by the National Institutes of Health, is designed to evaluate a combination therapy in those who are critically ill due to COVID-19.
It’s part of a study called the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial 3, and it’s expected to enroll 1,000 people with COVID-19 who are admitted to the hospital. It’s using the antiviral we’ve been hearing about, Remdesivir, but it’s adding another drug to it. That drug is what’s called interferon beta-1a.
“Interferon is a chemical-like medication that has antiviral properties and can affect the immune system to reduce inflammation,” said Dr. Stephen Blatt, the medical director for infectious diseases at TriHealth “It might have a dual purpose in COVID-19 infection where it could both reduce the reproduction of the virus and tweak down the immune system so that the cytokine storm that is described is not so severe.”
That cytokine storm is a severe immune reaction in which the body releases too many cytokines into the blood too quickly. That’s part of what often makes people with this virus very sick very quickly.
In this study, one group will get both Remdesivir plus this interferon; another will get Remdesivir and a placebo injection to compare and contrast outcomes.
At least 100 different hospitals are expected to be enrolling patients in this trial. Interferon is used in cancer and to treat other illnesses but in different doses.
Investigators will evaluate whether recovery time is shorter in the combination therapy group relative to the Remdesivir-only group. If it works, it could give us one more much-needed treatment for those who are critically ill.
