How interferon beta protein treatment helps fight coronavirus

A British company that's developed a new treatment for Covid-19 says the preliminary results of a clinical trial suggest it significantly reduces the risk of patients ending up in intensive care.

Those who took the drug were 79% less likely to deteriorate or die compared to those who were given a placebo, Synairgen said.

The company's CEO, Richard Marsden, explained how the treatment uses a protein called interferon beta, which our bodies produce to help fight viral infections.

The results have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, nor has the full data been made available; so the BBC cannot confirm the claims made for the treatment.

Read more:Coronavirus: Protein treatment trial 'a breakthrough'

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