StemCell Therapy

Drugmakers Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sanofi SA are racing to launch clinical trials exploring whether their arthritis drug could treat symptoms of novel coronavirus infections.

The study preparations mark the latest effort in an emerging front in researchers' hunt for effective treatments for Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. In the U.S., there aren't any drugs or vaccines approved for the condition.

The research aims to see whether certain drugs already on the market to tackle immune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis could help ease damage to the lungs and respiratory system caused by the immune system's overreaction to the Covid-19 virus, rather than killing it.

The Sanofi and Regeneron drug, called Kevzara, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017 to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

"The goal would be in the next couple of weeks to have the trial up and running, and in weeks to months after that to have the data," Regeneron Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos said in an interview on Tuesday.

Write to Joseph Walker at joseph.walker@wsj.com

More:
Arthritis drug to be tested to treat coronavirus - MarketWatch

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