Presently, there are few and limited treatments available for patients infected with COVIDd-19, and all of these treatments are unproven and experimental. The study on Kevzara marks Israel’s first clinical research trial to identify an effective medical treatment.
In Israel, the drug will be administered at Sheba Medical Center, Assuta Medical Center in Ashdod, and Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. Earlier this week, a 64-year-old woman hospitalized at Sheba Medical Center in moderate condition became the first coronavirus in Israel to receive Kevzara as a treatment for her symptoms.
Kevzara is manufactured by the French company Sanofi, and it was decided to test this drug after coronavirus patients in China were given a similar drug (not in the framework of a clinical study) and exhibited a positive response.
Until now, critically ill coronavirus patients in Israel have been given experimental drugs within the classification of being a “compassionate treatment.” Drugs in this category are not designed specifically to treat the disease, which makes it almost impossible to know which medication had an effect (or did not have any effect) on improving their condition. In contrast, the new clinical study on Kevzara will examine the safety of the drug in a controlled environment – enabling doctors to comprehensively analyze its effectiveness and safety.
