Blood Cancer Drug Rushed into Human Trials after showing extremely promising results against the Coronavirus

Have English Scientists found the coronavirus holy grail? British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has confirmed plans to launch global clinical trial testing OF one of its drugs that treat severely ill patients with Covid-19.

The Cambridge-based drugs group is rushing through testing for Calquence – which is currently used to treat some blood cancers after very encouraging early clinical results suggested that suppressing the inflammation caused by the immune response could reduce the respiratory harm caused by coronavirus.

This could cut deaths from Covid-19 and the need for ventilation in patients with life-threatening symptoms of the virus, Astra said.

Jose Baselga, executive vice-president of oncology research and development at Astra, said: “With this trial we are responding to the novel insights of the scientific community and hope to demonstrate that adding Calquence to best supportive care reduces the need to place patients on ventilators and improves their chances of survival.

“This is the fastest launch of any clinical trial in the history of AstraZeneca.”

Covid-19 can trigger an exaggerated immune system response in some patients with the virus, which increases the impact on the respiratory system and is one of the factors that makes the virus so deadly.

Astra’s trial, called Calavi, will look at the use of Astra’s drug Calquence – or acalabrutinib – in supportive care for Covid-19 patients to boost their chances of survival.