A drug used to treat brain haemorrhage and arthritis could help patients battling COVID-19.
A coronavirus patient at Wythenshawe Hospital has become the first to take part in the trial a drug called Anakinra.
Anakinra is an immunosuppressive drug mainly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis but also certain types of brain haemorrhage.
Researchers say the drug can combat severe infections and multiple organ failure triggered by an overreactive response by the body’s immune system.
This immune response can result in death and can occur in critically-ill COVID-19 patients.
The new trial is comparing the drug’s effectiveness in treating critically ill patients when administered either by injection under the skin or into the vein.
Dr Tim Felton, a consultant in Intensive Care and Respiratory Medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), is leading the study.
He said: "Anakinra is highly effective in treating overreactive immune response and severe infections.
"Because of this it could prove effective in treating COVID-19 patients, and several global trials are now underway to investigate this.
"The drug is typically administered as an injection either into the vein or under the skin.
"We think injection under the skin is a more efficient way of delivering the drug and that’s why with SCIL-1Ra we want to compare the two methods.
"We hope to show one method is more effective than the other and deliver better outcomes for patients."
Dr Bannard-Smith, an ICU consultant and lead Covid researcher at the MRI, added: “We’re incredibly grateful to our patient and their family for participating in the trial, and our fantastic team at Wythenshawe Hospital for their excellent patient care and hard work in coordinating this study.
"MFT is at the forefront in delivering cutting-edge research to fight COVID-19. Anakinra is currently being trialled as a potential COVID-19 treatment by several major UK and international studies, and we hope this one will make a vital contribution to wider efforts to understand the drug’s effectiveness."
The study, called SCIL-1Ra, aims to recruit 40 adult patients in intensive care with confirmed or clinically suspected COVID-19.
It's one of many COVID-19 treatment trials underway at hospitals across Greater Manchester.
