According to a story from gurufocus.com, the biotechnology company Capricor Therapeutics has recently announced the initiation of a compassionate use program for its experimental drug CAP-1002. This drug will be used to treat COVID-19 patients that are displaying severe symptoms. CAP-1002, which is classified as a cell therapy, has the potential to be useful for treating severe cases of COVID-19 because of its ability to modulate the activity of the immune system. The company is focused on the development of biologic therapies in order to prevent or treat serious diseases. This allogeneic cell therapy is currently being developed to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
CAP-1002 and COVID-19
The coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to spread throughout the US and the world at large, with very few signs of slowing down any time soon. Scientists and researchers are working hard to develop a vaccine for the virus and find safe and effective treatments in the meantime to help save lives. Two severe COVID-19 patients received an infusion of CAP-1002 at a health center in Los Angeles, CA. These two are currently clinically stable and more patients will be treated with the investigational drug in the coming weeks.
Can CAP-1002 Save Lives?
In the most deadly cases of coronavirus/COVID-19, most patients ultimately die from severe pneumonia, which is believed to develop following an event called a cytokine storm. This is an event in which the immune system triggers an extreme response to the infection; a huge number of white blood cells release cytokines, which trigger heavy inflammation.
Therefore, diseases that bring down the inflammatory process are indicated. While the immune system is essential for fighting COVID-19, this over-activation often backfires.
Compassionate use means that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can promptly gather all available data about an experimental drug and make rapid decisions about its use. While patients will continue to be treated with CAP-1002 in the meantime, Capricor also has an application that will formally allow for investigating CAP-1002 in certain COVID-19 patients.
The coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic is drastically impacting the lives of millions of people around the world. Please follow all social distancing guidelines, sanitizing guidelines, and stay-at-home orders to help minimize the spread of the virus.
