In late April, Noxopharm predicted that control of...

In late April, Noxopharm predicted that control of hyper-inflammation was the key to treatment of severely-ill coronavirus patients. Trial results released today support that view.

The anti-inflammatory drug Dexamethasone improved survival by 35% in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines; and by 20% in those who only needed supplementary oxygen. It did not appear to help less ill patients. These results are an impressive validation-of-concept.

Noxopharm is still waiting for regulatory authorities to give it approval to use NOX66 as treatment of severe coronavirus. The USA requires an experimental drug such as NOX66 to first get IND approval from the FDA, a process that takes time. An alternative possibility in the USA is to use NOX66 on a compassionate basis, but this would require an IND application for each individual patient. Europe has a different process, in which individual countries can authorise compassionate treatment for multiple patients.

We now have proof that anti-inflammatory treatment can improve survival of seriously-ill Coronavirus patients by 35%. That still leaves 65% who desperately need help. Hopefully we will soon find out whether NOX66 can fill that void.