Trials of a COVID-19 treatment inhaled directly into the lungs by way of a nebulizer found that patients who took the drug had a 79% lower risk of developing severe disease. The treatment has been developed by Synairgen, a respiratory drug discovery, and development company based in Southampton, U.K.
The drug, known as SNG001, when administered, showed that patients who took were more than twice likely to recover from COVID-19 compared to those given a placebo.
In previous studies conducted in patients with asthma, SNG001 is well-tolerated, improves lung function during flu or cold infection, and enhances the lungs' anti-viral defenses. The current trial was carried out on a double-blind and placebo-controlled basis - meaning neither the researchers nor the 101 patients knew whether they were receiving the drug or a placebo.
The result, according to researchers, revealed that the odds of developing severe COVID-19, which needed ventilation or may lead to death, were reduced by 79% for test patients taking the drug compared to patients who were given the placebo. The volunteers of the study were given treatment for up to 16 days.
A report by Science Focus noted that 6% of patients died after being randomly assigned the placebo. No deaths were recorded for those who received the drug, according to Synairgen. The study also revealed that SNG001 reduced the measure of breathlessness in patients who received the drug.
Patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of admission when given SNG001 were discharged earlier as well. However, the research team noted that the differences were not statistically significant.
The trial's chief investigator and professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton Tom Wilkinson said he is "delighted with the positive data produced from this trial," calling it a "breakthrough." The trial was relatively small, but the signal that the treatment benefits patients were unusually strong, he said.
The clinical trial conducted by Synairgen in COVID-19 patients is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Overall patient count in the trial is 220 -- 120 of these initiated in the home setting and 100 in a hospital.
Patients who participated in the hospital setting had been recruited in May across several NHS trusts. The trial has been adopted by the NIHR Respiratory Translational Research Collaboration, which is made up of leading centers in the U.K.'s respiratory medicine with internationally recognized experts. These experts are working together in order to accelerate the development of COVID-19 treatments.
