Study of MS drug offers hope of reducing coronavirus infections

Australian researchers will test whether a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis makes people with coronavirus less infectious.

Australian researchers will test whether a drug used to treat chronic central nervous system disease multiple sclerosis also makes people with coronavirus less infectious.

Perth’s Telethon Kids Institute will lead the world-first trial to test the effectiveness of the drug, interferon, in stopping outbreaks of COVID-19 by reducing the infectiousness of people who contract the virus.

Called the CoCo Study — CoCo is short for Containing Coronavirus — it has been made possible through a $2.665m donation from BHP’s Vital Resources Fund.

Telethon Kids Institute director Jonathan Carapetis said BHP’s support would enable researchers to develop a potentially powerful weapon against the spread of the virus.

“People infected with this novel coronavirus have been known to shed virus and be contagious for up to five days prior to developing symptoms and for weeks after onset of symptoms, which is likely to be a major driver of the pandemic,” Professor Carapetis said.

“This trial focuses on containing the virus by administering a type of interferon to infected cases and their contacts to reduce viral shedding, particularly from those with no symptoms, or prior to the onset of symptoms.

“We want to see whether administering interferon to those positive cases and those who have been recently exposed to a case could possibly stop the spread of the virus and, with that, the pandemic.”

Researchers from Western Australia, Queensland and NSW will work together to recruit 260 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and their direct contacts.

Telethon Kids paediatric infectious diseases physician Tobias Kollmann has already completed an exploratory study with collaborators in Wuhan, where the pandemic originated. It found that interferon therapy reduced the amount of time that a patient was infectious

 “The timing of this study is perfect,” Professor Carapetis said. “As we start to ease restrictions, we expect there to be more chance of pocket outbreaks. As the CoCo trial is focused on reducing viral transmission, this will give us an additional strategy, over and above quarantining and isolation, to stop outbreaks before they begin. This in turn will help prepare Australia, and the rest of the world, for other pockets of outbreaks.”

Interferon is a naturally occurring protein that is known to boost the immune system and help the body fight infection.