By Gavin Mackintosh–
There is fresh hope for a long COVID treatment breakthrough , after the positive findings of a recent study conducted by academic researchers.
Scientists who carried out a small-scale clinical trial believe a drug, called AXA1125, may increase energy production in cells and reduce inflammation for people fighting the virus and its aftereffects. They have called for broader studies to confirm the findings.
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Fatigue is one of the main symptoms experienced by patients and there is no approved treatment for the condition.
Victims of Long Covid have come out worst from the last pandemic, having suffered more long terms symptoms than those who endured the virus for a shorter period of time.
The University of Oxford researchers behind the study, gave either the AXA1125 drug or a dummy placebo treatment to 41 patients twice a day for four weeks, Sky News reports.
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The early-stage, phase 2 study was ‘double-blind’ in order to accurately assess the results from the experiment. Neither the scientists nor the patients knew which they were given until the research ended.
Evidence of better health in the ‘power generators’ inside cells has been considered a positive sign.
Associate Professor Betty Raman, the study’s principal investigator, said: “The reduction in patients’ own reports of fatigue is really positive news, and we hope that further work will help us understand the underlying processes behind this improvement too.
“There is still some way to go in treating all patients with long COVID.
“Our results focus specifically on fatigue, rather than the breathlessness and cardiovascular issues that other long COVID patients have reported.” Researchers say the COVID virus targets mitochondria.
The trial, which was funded by the manufacturer of the drug, Axcella, only examined a patients with clear signs that mitochondrial function had been disturbed.
The effect of the medication on other symptoms of long COVID has yet to be studied.
According to Oxford University, up to 10% of people who caught the virus are thought to be suffering from long COVID.
COVID 19 was a major killer during the height of the pandemic, killing thousands in the Uk.
There has been disputes over the true scale of the deaths caused by the virus because of the sheer number of victims who had other serious pre-existing illnesses, making it difficult in many cases to tell those who were dying mainly as a result of the virus, and those whose underlying illnesses may have been a major factor.
No independent thorough evaluation has yet been conducted to decipher one factor from the other. What is beyond dispute is the fact many people suffered from the virus, and some in a much more severe fashion.
It is hoped the new drug will provide the major breakthrough to alleviate the effects of long covid.
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