A Spanish pharmaceutical company has developed what could be the first of a new generation of drugs aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.  

It is hoped the new drug will be more effective in combating the new mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

The vaccination roll-out has been front and center in the global fight against the coronavirus.

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The rise of the antivirals

However, in recent months, significant progress has been made in another field – antiviral medicine.

Antiviral drugs are used to treat patients already infected. In Spain, there has been a promising breakthrough with a drug called Plitidepsin, originally designed to treat cancer patients.

"Plitidepsin is different because it inhibits the human protein that is needed by the virus to replicate. Other antivirals have instead focused on the virus itself," Marcos Lopez, president of the Spanish Immunology Society, told CGTN Europe.

By targeting its ability to replicate, the virus cannot function and spread in the same way.

This means that symptoms such as lung inflammation and other adverse reactions are massively reduced.

A study by the University of California San Francisco has been peer reviewed and initial human trials have been successful.

A game-changer?

The latest round of tests have shown that Plitidepsin is nearly 30 times more effective against COVID-19 than the current market leader Remdesivir. Researchers say this could transform how COVID-19 is treated in the future.

Tests have also been carried out on the new variants first detected in Brazil and the UK. 

The results have been encouraging – they have shown efficacy levels close to 100 percent.

"Right now, we're preparing to start Phase 3 trials. It will take some time. We are hoping to get emergency permits like those issued with the vaccine. With COVID-19, every day or week that we can be ahead of the pandemic will have a huge effect on both our health and the economy," Lopez said.

Throughout the pandemic, medical strategy has largely centered around prevention.

It's hoped new breakthroughs in patient treatment can also play a big role in reducing COVID-19 mortality.