Israeli firm finds COVID-19 cure from placenta

MANILA, Philippines — A placenta-based cell therapy formulated by an Israeli therapeutic company has been found to have totally cured six critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in Israel.

Data provided by Haifa, Israel-based Pluristem Therapeutic Inc., according to a recent report posted on The Jerusalem Post’s website, indicated that the six patients, who were suffering from acute respiratory failure and inflammations associated with COVID-19, were treated at three Israeli hospitals for a week.

They were all considered “high-risk for mortality” from the highly infectious disease, while four of them “also demonstrated failure of other organ systems, including cardiovascular and kidney failure,” the report said.

Pluristem said all the patients survived: four of them showed improvement in their respiratory conditions, three were in advanced stages of weaning from ventilators and two with preexisting medical conditions were showing recovery, aside from improving respiration.

Yaky Yanay, the company’s president and chief executive officer, said they are “pleased with the initial outcome of the compassionate use program and committed to harnessing PLX cells for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems.”

“Pluristem is dedicated to using its competitive advantages in large-scale manufacturing to potentially deliver PLX cells to a large number of patients in significant need,” Yanay added.

Pluristem said it plans to apply for initiation of multinational clinical trial for treatment of complications associated with COVID-19, according to Reuters.

Yanay said the company is in talks with regulators in Europe and the United States for the definition of their clinical strategy against the deadly disease.