Israel Biological Institute: Two drugs prove effective against corona

The Biological Institute said the two drugs that were tested led to a marked reduction in the replication of the coronavirus.

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli Institute for Biological Research revealed on Tuesday that two drugs designed to treat Gaucher’s disease, a genetic disorder that causes a buildup of fatty substances in organs, has turned out to be effective against the coronavirus.

In announcing the results of the study, the Ministry of Defense stressed that these drugs may also be effective against future outbreaks of new viruses.

One of the treatments is a derivative of Cerdelga, a drug to treat Gaucher’s disease that was approved by the FDA in 2014. The Ministry of Defense said that using existing drugs to treat a new disease like Covid-19 can be an effective and efficient way to tackle the disease in the near term.

The Biological Institute said the two drugs that were tested led to a marked reduction in the replication of the coronavirus. The drugs have been tested on cell cultures. They will now be tested on animals.

The Ministry of Defense said the drugs were also effective against several strains of viruses, including influenza and West Nile, meaning it has the potential to treat numerous families of viruses as well as new viruses.

On May 5, the Biological Institute first made news when then-Defense Minister Naftali Bennett announced a “breakthrough” at the lab in finding an antidote to the coronavirus by isolating and developing an antibody that attacks the virus.

The antibody was produced from plasma from animals and from patients who have recovered from the virus.

It had been suggested that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent trip to Israel was in part motivated by the earlier discovery at the institute.

Located in Ness Ziona, 10 miles south of Tel Aviv, the institute works under government agencies. It originated as the Haganah biological warfare unit in 1948.

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