A UK biotech company developing a novel treatment for Covid-19 has welcomed NHS plans to make Covid-19 treatments available to patients as soon as possible.
The CEO of NHS England, Sir Simon Stevens, recently highlighted the importance of therapeutic treatments to help the UK return to a more normal way of life, predicting that many of these treatments will be available to Covid-19 patients in 6 – 18 months.
ILC Therapeutics, a biotech company based in Scotland, is currently developing a synthetic Interferon which has shown great promise against Covid-19 in laboratory testing and will enter clinical trials later this year. It will be the first synthetic Interferon based on the most prominent activities of the natural Interferons.
The Company believes that its synthetic Interferon, called Alfacyte™, will have the potential to prevent Covid-19 hospitalisation in the vast majority of cases by boosting the immune response and preventing the virus from replicating in the body.
Laboratory testing last year showed that Alfacyte™ is at least 20 times more effective than any other therapeutic Interferon in the market.
Alan Walker, CEO of ILC Therapeutics, welcomed Sir Simon Stevens’ position on treatments, stating: “The vaccine roll out in the UK has been going extremely well and it will play an important role not only in preventing people getting the virus but also in providing therapeutic options that can treat the viral infection.
“A strong therapeutic, such as the synthetic Interferons we are developing, will have the potential to prevent hospitalisations and severe illness. This can change the entire complexion of how we fight this virus and enable us to ease social restrictions which have a high cost on society and the economy.
“Most importantly, like the vaccines, it will potentially save many thousands of lives and will be a vital addition to our healthcare armoury, not just against Covid-19 but any viral disease outbreaks in the future.”
ILC Therapeutics is one of two British companies hoping to bring therapeutic Interferons to patients. Its synthetic Interferon Alfacyte™ will enter clinical trials later this year.
