I'm confused. Are they testing this drug on people who don't have the conditions for which it's a treatment?
This was just a test for safety in humans. Well they got their results.
This drug is a designer drug, which was supposed to cause a large activation in white blood T-cells. It was hoped that the activation would reset the immune system and stop the T-cells from attacking a person's own cells causing arthritis and other auto-immune deseases.
What the drug seems to have done, however, is cause EVERY T-cell in the body to go into massive overdrive attacking everything in sight.
There are other similar drugs which activate specific reponses in a few specialized T-cells. This one turns them ALL on and doesn't give them a specific virus, bacteria, cancer cell etc. to seek out.
The patients may recover, but there will be significant damage done (and there won't be any bacteria or viruses left in them either.)
Drugs like this would make good bio-weapons.
Confusing to me as well. When I read about it last week, it seemed as though the test subjects were healthy, and not afflicted with the diseases targeted by the medication.
"I'm confused. Are they testing this drug on people who don't have the conditions for which it's a treatment?"
In phase I trials, drugs are usually tested in healthy volunteers (except in oncology, where they are usually tested in patients).