Drug being tested by UK scientists could ‘significantly improve’ patients’ health

UK scientists are testing an experimental drug which they hope will significantly improve the health of coronavirus patients.

The drug, known as SNG-001, has been shown in trials to stimulate the immune response in the lungs of patients with asthma and chronic lung disease, according to BBC Panorama, which gained access to the trial at University Hospital Southampton.

It uses a protein called interferon beta which our bodies produce when we get a viral infection.

Professor Tom Wilkinson, who heads up the drug trial, told the programme: “In an ideal world, we would see a significant improvement in the health of the patients receiving the drug, a reduction in those requiring intensive care and ventilation.

“But it is early days to understand that and we will know more when we have the results.”

Initial results from the interferon-beta trial at the University of Southampton are expected by the end of June.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson will today urge countries to “pull together” and share their expertise as he co-hosts an international conference to drive the race for coronavirus treatments, tests and vaccines. The Prime Minister will describe the challenge facing humanity as the “most urgent shared endeavour of our lifetimes”.

He will add: “We are in this together and together we will prevail.”

Today’s online pledging conference — co-hosted by the UK and eight other countries and organisations — aims to bring in more than £6.6bn for the global response to the pandemic.

Panorama: When Will We Be Safe? will air at 7.30pm on BBC One

AN investigation has been launched after the wrong body was released for burial by an Irish hospital.

It is understood the person had died at Mullingar Regional Hospital after being diagnosed with Covid-19.

However, the remains released to the family were those of another person.

The bodies of people who had contracted Covid-19 are put in sealed body bags in order to prevent the spread of infection.

It is understood the hospital contacted the undertaker to rectify the mistake before the funeral service took place.

In a statement, Mullingar Regional Hospital confirmed the incident, which happened just over a week ago.

It added that the incorrect body had been released from the hospital mortuary and given to an undertaker on Friday, April 24.

The Ireland East Hospital Group along with Regional Hospital Mullingar are conducting an internal review.

“Following detection, the mistake was rectified,” the hospital added. “We would like to offer our condolences to the families and sincerely apologise for the distress this has caused.”

The Irish health service’s chief operations officer Anne O’connor said there were procedures in place to prevent this and the incident was being investigated.

“We would hope [it is] an isolated incident — and certainly there are lots of procedures in place. It is being investigated,” she said.

“Obviously it’s a critical thing for us. So we would hope that certainly the policies and procedures in place will ensure that doesn’t happen anywhere else.”