Scientists from Veru Inc and HonorHealth Research Institute showed that an experimental drug used to fight cancer may reduce the death risk of COVID-19 by more than 50%.
The drug is called sabizabulin and has been found effective in aiding severely ill COVID-19 patients.
The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was conducted by K. Gary Barnette et al.
Sabizabulin was initially developed to fight cancer by cutting out highway access between tumor cells, preventing rapid growth.
Taken as a pill, the drug blocks cells from building molecular cables meant to transport materials from one area of the cell to another.
In the study, researchers tested 134 patients. These patients were hospitalized for COVID treatment and received oxygen or mechanical ventilation.
They had other risk factors such as obesity or high blood pressure that increase their death risks in COVID-19.
The team found the drug seems to work in COVID patients by reducing life-threatening lung inflammation.
Among 134 volunteers who took the drug and the 70 who received a placebo, the death rates of the two groups were very different after 60 days.
More than 45% of the placebo group died compared to about 20% of those taking sabizabulin—a 55% reduction in the overall risk of death.
Other researchers say that the result looks super impressive. Doctors have a small number of treatments for patients with severe diseases that improve mortality, but another treatment that can further reduce deaths would be very welcome.
A few antiviral drugs have been shown to keep COVID patients out of the hospital, but they generally don’t work well with moderate to severe COVID.
Larger and independent confirmatory studies are needed to test the findings.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about drug that can offer much-needed COVID-19 protection, and vaccines may not prevent severe COVID-19 in these people.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about new antibody treatment for COVID-19, and results showing this nutrient is essential for preventing cancer, and boosting the immune system.
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