© Reuters/Social Media FILE PHOTO: A computer image created by Nexu Science Communication together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to COVID-19(Reuters) - Synairgen Plc said on Monday its drug helped reduce the risk of developing severe diseases in hospitalised COVID-19 patients, according to data from a trial of more than 100 people in the United Kingdom.
The trial, which used interferon beta, showed that patients who were given Synairgen's formulation had a 79% lower risk of developing severe disease compared to placebo.
Patients who received the drug, SNG001, were more than twice as likely to recover from COVID-19 as those on placebo, the company said.
Interferon beta is a naturally occurring protein, which regulates the body's antiviral responses.
(Reporting by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)
