CNBC Breaking News:" Regeneron Pharmaceuticals this week...

CNBC Breaking News:

" Regeneron Pharmaceuticals this week initiated test trials of an arthritis drug as a potential remedy for the worst symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The biotech giant announced Monday it launch ed a clinical program using Kevzara, a commercial medicine that treats active rheumatoid arthritis, and recruiting hospitalized patients experiencing severe symptoms of the respiratory illness.

“We did something that’s never been done in record time,” launching a study in New York state “where we’re going to already be treating patients with this,” Regeneron Chief Scientific Officer Dr. George Yancopoulos told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Tuesday.

The Regeneron co-founder and president hopes within a few weeks that results will support findings from China, where health officials tried a variety of medicines to combat the disease as the virus spread quickly. Kevzara is an antibody that could help prevent the lungs from triggering an overactive inflammatory response, Regeneron said.

“The one thing everybody got excited about is something that blocked inflammation. This was done in an uncontrolled way, not a randomized controlled study,” Yancopoulos said in the “Mad Money” interview.

Regeneron is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to get the trials underway, he added.

If successful, it could be used as an immediate remedy for patients in critical condition."

I hope MSB are looking at all options including dusting off the RA treatment (MCP-300-IV).