By Benjamin Mueller
A small study of an inhaled form of a commonly available drug, interferon beta, suggested it could reduce the odds of patients becoming severely ill.
LONDON — A small study of hospitalized Covid-19 patients in Britain has identified a promising new treatment for the illness, a British biotechnology company said on Monday, with initial results showing that an inhaled form of a commonly available drug can reduce the odds of patients requiring intensive care.
But the trial, which sent shares of the company, Synairgen, soaring, caused some consternation among scientists, who demanded to see more detailed data and faulted the company for failing to make clear exactly how helpful the drug was or how long its benefits lasted.
Synairgen, founded by researchers at the University of Southampton, said that an inhaled form of interferon beta, a protein that the body produces in response to viral infections, could significantly reduce the odds of patients becoming severely ill and accelerate their recoveries.
The results, while significant, are far from certain. The double-blind trial involved only 101 patients, Synairgen said, making it difficult to know for certain how beneficial the drug was or how it affected patients differently. Scientists stressed the need for more details on how the study had been conducted and a more complete set of results from the trial, which has not yet been peer reviewed or published.