A new treatment for Covid-19 has produced encouraging early results in trials on patients in the UK.
While still preliminary, the findings suggest that patients are more than twice as likely to recover from infection after inhaling a form of interferon beta (IFN-beta), a protein used by the body’s virus-fighting system.
Patients also had a lower risk of developing severe disease, needing ventilation, suffered less breathlessness and also spent significantly less time in hospital.
The results – which have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal – “could signal a major breakthrough”, according to Synairgen, the drug research company in Southampton, UK, which developed the treatment.
"We couldn't have expected much better results than these,” Richard Marsden, the company's chief executive, told the BBC.
He said his company was about to present its work to medical regulators in the first step towards having the treatment approved for use.
One major caveat about the findings is that they come from a relatively small study of 101 patients.
As a result, the evidence of benefit still carries considerable uncertainty. Some of the findings are also only barely statistically significant, the minimum standard needed to be taken seriously by regulators.
Nevertheless, the results to date suggest the treatment could be a “game changer”, according to Professor Tom Wilkinson of the University of Southampton, who organised the clinical trial across nine UK hospitals.
These were so-called double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trials, meaning both patients and doctors were unaware of who received the treatment or an inactive placebo, and that other forms of bias had been minimised. Such trials are regarded as the most reliable way of testing a new treatment.
The results are also consistent with what is known about IFN-beta. Naturally produced by the body’s immune system, this protein orchestrates the response to viral infections.
Since Covid-19 first emerged last December, studies have shown that older people and those with chronic health conditions – two of the most vulnerable groups of Covid-19 patients – also have relatively low IFN-beta levels.
It is also known that coronaviruses – including Sars-CoV-2, responsible for Covid-19 – can suppress the production of the protein.
This has led researchers to suspect that giving patients IFN-beta following infection could improve the chances of survival.
Promising results with patients with Sars and Mers led the World Health Organisation to include IFN-beta in its list of potentially useful treatments for Covid-19 when used with other drugs. However, there has been concern that its effectiveness depends on how it is administered.
Remarkably, the new results suggest IFN-beta is highly effective if simply inhaled via a nebuliser. Previous studies of patients with asthma and other breathing disorders also suggest the treatment is safe and does not interact with many other drugs. It may also be effective in combating the virus soon after infection.
Combined with the urgent need for such treatment, it is likely that Synairgen will win emergency approval for the therapy.
The company is understood to have begun production several months ago in anticipation of the positive results, and aims to deliver hundreds of thousands of doses by the winter.
“Our efforts are now focused on working with the regulators and other key groups to progress this potential Covid-19 treatment as rapidly as possible”, said Mr Marsden.
Robert Matthews is Visiting Professor of Science at Aston University, Birmingham, UK
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
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Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
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Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
