Rush hour in Israel as global interest in potential Covid-19 cure accelerates
Brazil’s foreign minister, Ernesto Araujo, arrived in Israel yesterday as his government is said to be highly interested in EXO-CD24, a new drug that has been hailed as a possible cure for Covid-19.
Araujo, accompanied by Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, is reportedly keen to learn more about the treatment, which is a targeted drug that was reportedly developed as a cure for certain types of cancer.
The visit marks the sixth country that sent a delegation to Israel within a matter of weeks, as they race to find out more about the relatively unknown cancer drug.
A number of severely ill Covid-19 patients made a full recovery within five days after being treated with EXO-CD24 last month.
Out of 30 seriously ill Covid-patients that were treated with the medication, 29 showed a significant improvement within two days and all were released within three to five days, according to researchers at the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
“We are working together [with Brazil] to increase bilateral cooperation in the war on the virus,” said Israeli’s Foreign Minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, according to Brazilian newspaper Metropoles yesterday.
Latin America’s largest nation has been among the hardest-hit Covid-19 countries in the world, with an estimated death toll of more than 250,000.
Global interest
Brazil is far from the only country that has put the ongoing Covid trials in Israel firmly on its radar.
Interest is growing rapidly as a range of other nations sent delegations to the tiny Middle Eastern state in recent weeks.
In February, the president of Cyprus and prime minister of Greece both made a visit to the country and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu to be included in any future EXO-CD24 trials or production cycles.
Moreover, only last week the governments of Austria and Denmark broke ranks with the European Union, vowing to work together with Israel to produce vaccines against Covid mutations.
Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Austria was keen to team up with Israel to create second-generation jabs and research treatment options. EXO-CD24 is reportedly at the heart of their partnership.
The announcement was largely seen as a rebuke to the EU’s joint vaccine procurement programme for member states.
Cancer drug
EXO-CD24 is a targeted drug that was initially developed as a cure for certain types of cancer.
Ichilov hospital decided to administer the drug to 30 moderate-to-seriously ill Covid-19 patients, which led to a success rate of 96 per cent within a set trial period of five days.
EXO-CD24 is relatively inexpensive and must be given once a day for a period of five days. It fights the cytokine storm, a potentially lethal immune overreaction as a result of a coronavirus infection, which is believed to be responsible for many Covid-related deaths.
The drug uses so-called ‘exosomes’ – tiny carrier pouches that shuttle materials between cells – to deliver a protein called CD24 to the lungs.
After Israeli media hailed the results as “a huge breakthrough” last month, the researchers met with Prime Minister Netanjahu last month and Israel’s Ministry of Health reportedly gave permission to extend and expand the trial.