HIV drug showing signs of successfully treating COVID-19 patients

A drug used to treat HIV and cancer patients has shown success in treating some of the most severe COVID-19 patients, and just got cleared by the FDA to start a phase 2 clinical trial. Much of the work behind the drug is happening right in Washington State.

The drug was developed by a company called CytoDyn in Vancouver, Washington.

It’s manufactured by a company in Bothell, AGC Biologics, which makes a special molecule that’s the key ingredient in the drug.

Scientists at CytoDyn figured out it could work to treat COVID-19 and the first severely sick patients who’ve tried it have shown improvement.

The drug is called leronlimab and comes in a vial and is a two-shot per week dose, over two weeks.

It’s being tried on 10 of the most critically ill COVID-19 patients at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The patients are on ventilators and some are barely conscious.

“The first four patients who were intubated, two were extubated. One of them self-extubated, and became alert,” said Nader Pourhassan, the CEO of CytoDyn.

Now the two patients are out of the ICU.... (Read more)

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