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Israel Allows Stem Cell-Based Drug Against COVID-19 to Enter Phase 2 Trials, Reports Say

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - The Israeli Health Ministry has given permission to biotech company Bonus BioGroup to begin Phase 2 trials of its COVID-19 drug based on stem cells, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Sputnik
In July, Israeli company Bonus BioGroup told Sputnik that it had successfully concluded Phase 1 trials of the drug, which were conducted at Rambam hospital in Haifa. According to the developers, three shots of the drug injected within 24 hours bring oxygen level in COVID-19 patient back to normal and significantly improve their well-being.
Phase 2 trials will take place in Israel and involve 60 people experiencing severe cases of COVID-19. They will be followed by Phase 3 trials, which will include some 300 patients from different countries.
The drug is produced from stem cells taken from healthy people, which then undergo treatment in a bioreactor. The entire process takes roughly 10 days.
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