Israeli Scientists Claim To Develop 96% Effective COVID Cure Drug

Jerusalem, 10 Feb 2021:

While vaccination drives pick up pace, newer hope for fighting COVID and fastening recovery timelines has emerged in the form of a new COVID drug, which claims to be super effective in rooting away the contagious SARS- COV-2 virus.

Developed by Israeli medical scientists, preliminary results from one of the trials conducted in Tel Aviv hospitals have pointed out to startling evidence suggesting that the drug, originally made to treat cancer was able to help 29 out of 30 COVID+ patients recover a lot faster.

According to scientists, while average COVID-19 patients make a recovery in three-four weeks, the repurposed cancer drug helped patients in the sample group make a full recovery from the virus in just 4 days time. Only one of the patients took a longer while to recover.

The experimental drug was hatched less than a year ago, post which it was pushed into research and testing.

One of the lead scientists involved in the research, Professor Arber also said that the discovery of such a novel drug could lower the burden on the medical community, with or without the pandemic going away:

"Even if the vaccines do their job, and even if there aren't any new mutations, one way or another, the coronavirus will be staying with us. That's why we developed this special medication: EXO-CD24. This is unprecedented."

How does the drug work against COVID-19?

The drug, called EXO-CD24, researchers claim carries a whopping 96% efficacy, as proven by the initial studies.

The novel medicine, studied by the doctors at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv was initially developed as a treatment strategy for cancer but experimentally tested on COVID patients who had been hospitalized with moderate or serious coronavirus complications.

Till now, no such coronavirus cure has been established globally. While most COVID-19 vaccines are experimentally made, the treatment drugs being used right now, such as Tocilizab, Favipiravir, Remdesivir have all been repurposed for use- and have a risk of side-effects.

The experimental drug, which has been repurposed for treatment has given fresh hope to the medical community worldwide.

What also makes the drug rather interesting is its economical cost and easy usage. According to Israeli scientists currently involved in the study of the medicine, the drug EXO-CD24 has to be administered 5 days in a row.

Scientists have also said that the novel coronavirus cure may be potentially helpful in rooting out cytokine storm, which is one of the commonly associated complications for COVID severity and in many cases, mortality as well.

According to studies, the drug makes use of 'exosomes', which works as a carrier to transport a crucial protein, CD24, which helps regulate immune functioning to the lungs.

Higher immune response and vital functioning would help evade the virus and fasten recovery timelines.

The groundbreaking results proven in clinical studies have not just been hailed as a big medical breakthrough, but scientists have also applied for grants to expand the trials.

Israeli scientists are now counting on further human trials and extensive research to study how well the drug, originally developed to fight ovarian cancer could work on hospitalized COVID patients. Trials have been planned on hundreds of patients now, with results which will be compared to placebo and other currently used COVID-19 drugs.

It's not the first time that such groundbreaking research has been done in Israel. Israeli scientists were earlier credited to have developed a unique cancer cure, first of its kind as well.The Times Of India