University Hospital Coventry patient first in tests for coronavirus cure using common drugs - The Coventry Observer

University Hospital Coventry patient first in tests for coronavirus cure using common drugs

Coventry Editorial 27th Jul, 2020 Updated: 27th Jul, 2020   0

A PATIENT at University Hospital Coventry is set to be the world’s first in one trial for a coronavirus cure.

Trials by pharmaceutical company Immunic and a team at UHCW could create a cure for the pandemic using already available drugs.

Researchers plan to use antiviral drug Tamiflu, along with another treatment to ‘switch off’ a single enzyme.

It works by using an inhibitor, called IMU-838, to block an enzyme found in cell membranes, DHODH.




Treatment will target patients with ‘moderate to severe’ coronavirus symptoms.

The patient will be monitored and scored on a measure created by the World Health Organisation.


Professor Ramesh Arasaradnam, a Gastroenterology Consultant at UHCW NHS Trust and chief investigator of the trial, said: “The healthcare community has never faced a more urgent need for new, innovative treatments than the unprecedented situation we currently face with COVID-19.

“Third-party research has highlighted the powerful synergy between direct antiviral drugs and DHODH inhibitors in preclinical models.

“Although these results require corroboration in larger studies and in individuals infected with COVID-19, we believe that the combination of IMU-838 and Oseltamivir may

offer a promising approach for the treatment of severe viral infections, including moderate to severe COVID-19 patients.

“The data collected may be able to provide us useful insights in the management of patients during the upcoming flu season later in the year.”

Fears are growing that winter conditions could cause the coronavirus to spread more quickly later in 2020, compounded by common illnesses such as flus and colds.

“We are honoured to be collaborating with the UHCW NHS Trust on this important clinical trial, in order to find a new treatment option for COVID-19 patients,” noted Daniel Vitt, President of Immunic.

“This trial can provide valuable insights as to whether the host cell-based antiviral mechanism of IMU838 has a synergistic effect with a direct antiviral drug in order to provide a combination treatment approach for COVID-19.”

Professor Arasaradnam, supported by the in-house Trial Management Unit (TMU) at UHCW, secured funding for the IONIC trial from the medical research charity LifeArc.

Melanie Lee, CEO of LifeArc, said: “LifeArc has made £10m available for the development of new therapeutics to support the global effort against COVID-19.

“Repurposing already available drugs or those in the late stage of development offers the fastest route to bring benefit to patients at this critical time.”

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