The Oxford trial will aim to treat people in the community, especially in nursing homes. (File)
London:
The University of Oxford said on Wednesday it would study whether the world‘s best-selling prescription drug adalimumab was an effective treatment for patients with COVID-19 – the latest effort to reuse existing drugs as potential therapies against coronaviruses.
Adalimumab, which is sold under the brand name Humira by AbbVie, is a type of anti-inflammatory drug known as an anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drug. Recent studies have shown that COVID-19 patients already taking anti-TNFs for inflammatory bowel disease and inflammatory arthritis are less likely to be admitted to hospital, Oxford said in a statement.
The Oxford trial, called AVID-CC, will aim to treat people in the community, particularly in nursing homes, the university said. It will recruit up to 750 patients from community care settings across Britain.
Humira is used to treat a range of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and psoriasis.
The availability of biosimilar versions of the drug would make it affordable and accessible if the trial is successful, Oxford said. Novartis makes one of the alternatives, Hyrimoz.
Research has identified certain treatments for COVID-19 hospital patients, including Gilead’s remdesivir as well as the generic steroid dexamethasone.
The researchers also looked at other anti-inflammatory drugs to treat COVID-19. Serious infections are thought to be triggered by an overreaction of the immune system, known as a cytokine storm, and drugs that suppress certain parts of the immune system may play a role in stopping a rapid escalation of symptoms. .
But there are still no effective therapies for people who are not admitted to the hospital.
Nursing homes have been hit particularly hard by the first wave of COVID-19 in the UK and other countries. If Humira was successful against COVID-19, it could help some older people who are among the most vulnerable, he said, at a time when governments are struggling to contain the pandemic.
The Oxford study is funded by the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator initiative set up by global charity Wellcome, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Mastercard.
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