Currently in phase 2 of the experiment, a treatment based on plasma from horses is being tested in Costa Rica. The goal ? Use the antibodies produced by the animals to neutralize the virus. In view of the results, the treatment could soon move to phase 3 of experimentation. Let’s do a check in.
Horse antibodies to neutralize the virus
For several weeks, scientists from the Clodomiro Picado Institute at the University of Costa Rica have been experimenting with a treatment based on horse plasma in order to fight Covid-19. To do this, they inoculated six horses with proteins from the coronavirus, obtained from laboratories in China and the United Kingdom. They then collected the antibodies developed by the horses and contained in their blood plasma.
In vitro tests were first carried out at George Mason University in the United States. Charles Bailey, in charge of the study, explains: “ We exposed the antibodies produced in horses to several dilutions of the Sars-Cov2 virus in cell cultures and we showed that the virus was neutralized “.
The goal? Antibodies from horses must be able to neutralize the virus in just four days. Andres Hernandez, pharmacist who heads the Clodomiro Pico Institute, says: “ The goal is for the antibodies from the horses to neutralize the virus and for the symptoms to decrease in four days, allowing the patient to breathe without difficulty, with a disappearance of the fever … “.
A treatment currently in phase 2 of the experiment
Following the first tests carried out in the United States, an initial batch of 1000 vials of 10 ml of the purified solution could be manufactured. This potential remedy is currently in phase 2 of experimentation. It is tested on 27 patients with Covid-19. Professor and Doctor Willem Bujan, who is leading the study in Costa Rica, describes the preliminary results of the treatment as ” very sure “And suggests” adequate patient tolerance “.
If it goes into phase 3 of experimentation, the treatment should be tested on hundreds of patients with the coronavirus. In any case, it would be more intended for individuals affected at the start of the disease, ” when the symptoms are not yet very severe and the viral load is not too high As Andres Hernandez noted.
After that, the treatment could be made available to other countries with the support of WHO. This was announced by Carlos Alvarado, President of Costa Rica.
