Will a new drug against the virus soon see the light of day? This is what the authors of a study published on Wednesday hope, according to which a single injection of a new antiviral treatment against Covid-19 halved, in clinical trials, the risk of hospitalization in case of of infection. A solution that could prove promising, at a time when the disease no longer makes the headlines, but where it continues to cause hundreds of deaths every day in the world. The development of new treatment options therefore remains crucial, especially in the face of new variants, Jeffrey Glenn, professor of immunology at Stanford University and co-author of this study, published in the journal NEJM, told AFP.
The treatment in question uses interferons, crucial proteins in the immune response. They are secreted in the presence of a virus, and attach themselves to the receptors of certain cells, thus triggering “an innate antiviral defense mechanism” (distinct from antibodies), explained Jeffrey Glenn. However, among the different types of interferons, those called lambdas attach in particular to the cells of the lungs, precisely where Covid-19 is rife. It is a synthetic version of these which are injected, within seven days after the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease.