They identified a compound (the oligonucleotide BC 007) to neutralize these autoantibodies. After a successfully completed phase I trial, in a phase IIa clinical trial, BC 007 was shown to neutralize autoantibodies in patients with advanced heart failure.
Since the development of functional autoantibodies directed against G protein-coupled receptors can most likely be attributed to viral infections in general, in the combat of the sequelae of the pandemic of Covid-19 it was obvious to search for these autoantibodies in patients with Long Covid Syndrome (LCS). In more than 90% of the patients, a particular pattern of autoantibodies has been detected (Wallukat et al. 2021).
At the University Hospital of the University of Erlangen (Germany), 4 individual patients with an extremely pronounced LCS were treated with BC 007 under compassionate use conditions justified by an emergency. All patients recovered after a single infusion with BC 007 to such an extent that one could almost speak of a cure.A double-blind randomized clinical trial is now underway to confirm the findings obtained with these initial patients.
