British researchers evaluate asthma, COPD drug for COVID-19

May 4 (UPI) -- Interferon beta, a drug used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is being explored as a possible cure for severe lung infections caused by COVID-19.

Clinical trials of the drug, manufactured by the biotech firm Synairgen, are already underway at 10 hospitals, with some 75 patients enrolled. All 10 hospitals participating are in Britain, and results are expected by the end of next month.

"In an ideal world we would see a significant improvement in the health of the patients receiving the drug, a reduction in those requiring intensive care and ventilation," Dr. Tom Wilkinson, a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton, told the BBC. "But it is early days to understand that and we will know more when we have the results."

Other forms of interferon beta, a naturally occurring protein that's involved in the human body's immune response, have been used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis for years.

However, earlier research suggested interferon beta deficiency in the lungs could be why some are more prone to severe lung disease during respiratory viral infections than others, Synairgen said in a press release.

The Synairgen version of the drug, called SNG001, is delivered directly to the lungs with a nebulizer, a device commonly used by those with asthma and COPD. Trials of the drug in people with these conditions have found it to be safe, with few serious side effects.

Researchers said that previous studies have shown coronaviruses often suppress production of the protein, giving them hope synthetic versions could help patients with pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Synairgen, a respiratory drug discovery and development company founded by University of Southampton faculty, has already demonstrated that the drug stimulates immune response people with COPD, asthma and other chronic lung conditions.

Lab experiments have also revealed the drug can protect cells from infections caused by other coronaviruses, including MERS-CoV, which causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and SARS-CoV, the virus behind Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome.