According to Tania Crombet, director of Clinical Research at the Center for Molecular Immunology, the studies with the monoclonal antibody CIMAher® revealed an improvement in ventilation function and a reduction in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration.
“Interleukin-6 is one of the main cytokines accounting for the hyperinflammatory state seen in SARS-CoV-2 patients,” the doctor said.
Eighty percent of patients presented a radiological improvement or stabilization in the multifocal interstitial lung disease on the seventh day after the first dose of Nimotuzumab was administrated, the specialist told Granma newspaper.
Likewise, preliminary evidence of prevention or reversion of fibrotic lesions could be observed by computerized axial tomography scan, reducing pulmonary sequelae, Crombet stated.
Nimotuzumab received its health registration in 2002 to treat head and neck tumors at advanced stages. It has proven that it blocks or inhibits the epidermal growth factor receptor, a highly validated target in oncology.
jg/iff/msm/joe