Peptides and proteins company Relief Therapeutics Holdings AG (SIX:RLF)(OTC:RLFTF) said on Thursday that NeuroRx Inc has received the Investigational New Drug (IND) permission to test RLF-100 (aviptadil) for inhaled use in patients with moderate and severe COVID-19.
The company added that the clinical trial of the inhaled formulation of RLF-100 is expected to begin on or before 1 September 2020. The first phase will commence with patients hospitalized for severe COVID-19 who do not yet have respiratory failure and the trial will expand to patients at home with mild and moderate COVID-19 in order to prevent the need for hospital admission.
According to the company, RLF-100 (aviptadil) is a patented formulation of Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP), which is highly concentrated in the lungs and inhibits a variety of inflammatory cytokines.
COVID-19-related death is primarily caused by respiratory failure, but there is evidence of early viral infection of the alveolar type 2 cells. Injury to the type 2 alveolar cells is an increasingly plausible mechanism of COVID-19 disease progression (Mason 2020). These specialized cells replenish the more common type 1 cells that line the lungs, concluded the company.
GSK releases decade-long data on Shingrix efficacy
GSK announces positive EAGLE-1 results for gepotidacin in gonorrhoea treatment
Boehringer Ingelheim reports strong growth in 2023 and accelerates late-stage pipeline
Charles River Laboratories launches AMAP to reduce animal testing reliance
PureTech completes enrollment in Phase 2b ELEVATE IPF trial for LYT-100
Cybin secures additional US patent for CYB003 breakthrough therapy programme
UroGen's UGN-103 IND accepted by FDA for bladder cancer treatment
Biophytis reinforces obesity IP with new patent application
MaaT Pharma reveals positive 18-month data for MaaT013 in GI-aGvHD
Fusion Antibodies plc secures contract for OptiPhage library development
Innate Pharma advances Sanofi-developed NK cell engager to Phase 2 for blood cancer patients