The Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv is working on a drug dubbed EXO-CD24, which has already completed two phases of trials without registering major side effects, according to The Jerusalem Post.
About 93% of the 90 critically ill coronavirus patients treated in various Greek hospitals with a new drug developed by an Israeli team as part of the phase II trial of the treatment, were discharged in five days or less.
“The main objective of this study was to verify that the drug is safe. To date we have not recorded any significant side effects in any patient in both groups, ” says Nadir Arber, leader of the team.
Arber and his team developed the drug based on a molecule the professor has been studying for 25 years called CD24, which is naturally present in the body. CD24 is a small protein that is anchored to the cell membrane and has many functions, including regulating the mechanism responsible for the cytokine storm.
Treatment against COVID-19 does not affect the immune system as a whole, but only attacks this specific mechanism, helping to regain its correct balance.
The scientists say they are ready to launch the last phase of the study.
“As promising as the findings from the early stages of a treatment may be, no one can be sure of anything until the results are compared with those of patients receiving a placebo,” the expert clarifies.
In this last phase, 155 patients with coronavirus will participate. Two thirds of them will be administered the drug and a third a placebo.
