A new treatment of COVID-19 for diabetics has shown promising results in a trial led by UCL researchers.
New COVID-19 treatment for diabetics
The fruits of the study were made by St George Street Capital (SGSc), a medical research charity. With the aim of finding new purposes, where there is a real clinical need, for drugs that have already passed safety controls.
Professors John Martin (UCL Division of Medicine) and Pete Coffey (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology). They founded the charity together with an American philanthropist to test new drugs four years ago.
These drugs had been abandoned by the pharmaceutical industry
They focused on a series of drugs that were shown to be safe in phase I clinical trials. These were abandoned by the pharmaceutical industry, but may still be beneficial for other purposes.
For the past year, SGSc has been testing a drug (AZD1656) in diabetic patients. The drug was donated to charity by AstraZeneca. The team recognized that it could activate immune system cells as a potential treatment for people with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. By dampening the overactive response of the immune system that causes damage to the body’s organs, particularly the heart and lungs.
AZD1656 was shown to be well tolerated with no serious adverse reactions.
The trial reduced the number of deaths in patients who received AZD1656. A promising finding that researchers will need to analyze further, when cellular immunology results are available. Before the study results are peer-reviewed.
The reduction in mortality of patients with AZD1656 was seen in addition to the benefits of other medications; like dexamethasone. On the other hand, AZD1656 was shown to be well tolerated without serious adverse reactions.
Diabetes: single cause of comorbidity during the pandemic
Diabetes, whether type 1 or 2, has been the single leading cause of comorbidity during the pandemic. And one in three deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals around the world has been associated with diabetes.
Therefore, the objectives of the clinical trial, called ARCADIA, were to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the drug. A glucokinase activator, and to determine the effect of therapy on clinical improvement and mortality.
ABOUT THE TRIAL:
The recently completed phase II trial of ARCADIA, led by St George Street Capital, was randomized, double-blind. Controlled with placebo and carried out in 158 patients. The trial was funded by international investments and the UKRI / Innovate UK program.
The researchers say their data supports ongoing research for AZD1656 for the treatment of people with diabetes who have COVID-19. As well as in future clinical trials. They also hope to test the drug in people without diabetes, which could benefit an even larger group of people, such as patients with long-term COVID.
Professor Martin, SGSC Chairman and UKRI Grant Principal Investigator, said: “We have demonstrated our ability to rapidly conduct a clinical trial in 16 months. This, from conception to completion. The promising results of this trial indicate that AZD1656, a simple oral tablet. It has the potential to become a new treatment for COVID-19. It is beneficial regardless of viral mutations. It is the first specific treatment for COVID disease (unlike antivirals or vaccines). And it may herald a new field of drugs that activate cells in the body that become the therapeutic agent themselves. “
Professor Coffey added that “our study shows the potential results of partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry. The reuse of drugs for use in an unmet clinical need is immense. St George Street Capital has tested this model ”.
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