Argentina starts trials on hyperimmune horse serum to treat COVID-19

Argentina has started clinical trials on treating COVID-19 using hyperimmune serum developed with antibodies from horses, authorities from the laboratory involved said on Wednesday.

The serum, produced by local biotechnology firm Inmunova, is obtained by injecting a SARS-CoV-2 protein - which causes the animal to generate a large amount of neutralizing antibodies. Plasma is then extracted from the horse, purified and processed.

After positive results in laboratory tests, the clinical trial to study the effectiveness of the serum will be carried out on 242 people diagnosed with the disease in moderate to severe conditions, the laboratory said.

"If we can lower viral replication in the first days, not only are we going to lower the viral load of the disease and the referral of patients... but we think this neutralizing capacity will allow patients to develop their own immune response," said Fernando Goldbaum, Inmunova's scientific director.

Plasma law

Argentina's Congress likewise passed a bill on July 23 promoting the donation of plasma by recovered Covid-19 patients - awarding donors two days of paid leave.

The bill, introduced by Congressmen Máximo Kirchner of the center-left Front for All and Cristián Ritondo of the right-wing PRO, found rare common cause in the country's sharply divided politics, and passed unanimously.

"Seven out of ten recovered patients develop antibodies," Front for All Senator Inés Blás noted. "600 milliliters of plasma, which is normal, is enough to transfuse three people."

Argentina has recorded 179,000 cases and 3,288 deaths. Its death rate of 73 per million people, however, is a fraction of the 424 in neighboring Brazil, 465 in the U.S., and 485 in neighboring Chile.

At: https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/07/29/world/americas/29reuters-health-coronavirus-argentina-horses.html

A gaucho and his horses in Argentina's Patagonia.

Long known for its horsemanship tradition, Argentina is now exploring equine serum as a possible therapy for Covid-19 patients due to its potent generation of antibodies.