For hundreds of patients hospitalized with
Covid-19, there is new hope for treatment.
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research,
Northwell Health‘s research arm, is starting to enroll moderately and severely ill patients in a trio of
clinical trials. The
trials are designed to provide participating patients access to
treatments that could aid in and hasten their recovery. They’ll also
help to determine the safety and efficacy of such treatments through the
regulatory approval process.
Feinstein is working with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals of Westchester
County and French biopharmaceutical firm Sanofi on a trial for a human
antibody that might help ward off complications of severe pneumonia in
Covid-19 patients. The trial can enroll up to 400 severe or critical patients in multiple sites across the United States.
Northwell, which signed on as the first
site, has so far enrolled 10 patients in the trial, said Dr. Christina
Brennan, vice president of clinical research at the Feinstein
Institutes. About 250 Covid-19 patients are currently hospitalized at
Northwell facilities.
Beyond the Regeneron collaboration, the
Feinstein Institutes will conduct two trials for an investigational
antiviral drug designed to reduce the intensity and duration of Covid-19
with Gilead, a biotechnology company in Foster City, Calif. The drug
has been shown to have positive effects on other viral pathogens, such
as MERS and SARS, in the lab and in animal models.
The trials can accommodate thousands of severe and moderate Covid-19 cases globally.
“There’s no approved drug for Covid-19, so to have the opportunity to
have a drug available for [patients] prior to it being commercially
approved is an incredible opportunity we can bring to our patients that
offers hope that the drug will work,” Brennan said.
Many institutions have been requesting drugs not yet approved to
treat Covid-19 through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s
compassionate-use path. But launching clinical trials will enable
Northwell to have quantities of the drugs readily available.
Northwell is putting all its clinical-trial efforts into potential treatments for Covid-19.
Elsewhere in New York, Mount Sinai and New York–Presbyterian are
slated to participate in the Regeneron trial. Many institutions
locally—and globally—are clamoring to be part of Gilead’s trial.
Brennan said she didn’t know how long it would
take for such drugs to be commercially available but said she believes
the FDA is working on an expedited time frame. Results of the trials
will not be available until 60 days after the last enrolled participant
is first dosed.
https://www.crainsnewyork.com/coronavirus/northwell-health-launches-clinical-trials-covid-19-patients
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