Houston: Researchers in the Texas A&M University in the United States are hoping to find a medicine to fight against coronavirus. They are asking hundreds of frontline medical workers to participate in a phase 4, clinical trial of a widely-used tuberculosis vaccine. They believe it could help boost the immune system and blunt the devastating effects of COVID-19.
Federal clearance for BCG vaccine
Texas A&M is the first US institution in the clinical trial to have federal clearance for testing on humans. Researchers hope to demonstrate that Bacillus Calmette-Guerin or BCG mitigates the effects of coronavirus. If the trial is successful, they said fewer people will be hospitalised and the fatality rate will fall substantially.
The Texas A&M University researchers are seeking to repurpose the vaccine. It is also used to treat bladder cancer. BCG could be widely available for use against COVID-19 in just six months, the Texas A&M University said. The researchers said BCG has already been proven safe for other uses.
Buying time to develop COVID-19 vaccine
“This could make a huge difference in the next two to three years. During this period the development of a specific vaccine is developed for COVID-19 can be done,” said Dr Jeffrey D Cirillo, on the researchers. “BCG is not meant to cure coronavirus but bridge the gap until a vaccine is developed,” he added.
Healthcare workers will be the first people eligible for the clinical trial, which is set to begin this week. Efforts are underway to recruit 1,800 other volunteers. They will take part in Texas A&M’s nationwide test of BCG’s application for coronavirus.
“It’s going to prevent people from getting infected. This vaccine has the very broad ability to strengthen your immune response. We call it ‘trained immunity’,” said Dr Cirillo.
The human body fights a COVID-19 infection in a manner that is similar to how it would attack bladder cancer. So researchers are hopeful that BCG could lead to an effective and quickly developed treatment for COVID-19.
Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp has offered USD 2.5 million to ensure research can proceed as quickly as possible.
New ray of hope for people
Dr Cirillo said repurposing BCG could result in bringing a COVID-19 treatment to the US public in the fastest possible way. The drug is already approved by the FDA. So the researchers can skip the first three phases of clinical trials usually required before testing on people. These three stages can be avoided as the BCG vaccine has already passed those phases.
Researchers have also noticed that the morbidity and mortality rates were lower in some developing countries, including India. This is because the BCG vaccine is widely used.
Agencies
