A drug developed in Hungary which mimics antibodies is effective in preventing serious complications arising from Covid-19.
Imre Kacskovics, a scientist at Budapest’s Eötvös Loránd University, said the results were found following tests carried out on animals.
Kacskovics, an immunologist who heads the university’s science faculty, said a team from pharmaceutical firm Richter Gedeon managed to produce the compound which was formulated last March. The drug is designed to make the body resistant 12 hours after the jab.
The animal experiments conducted so far show that hamsters infected with the coronavirus do not develop severe symptoms after being administered the drug. Human clinical trials are scheduled to be carried out in the late autumn after a sequence of further tests.
Kacskovics said the drug was preventative rather than curative and should be used in the early stages of infection.
Photo credit: ELTE online