WAKEFIELD, MA – February 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Innovation Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB:IPIX) (“the Company”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today the Company submitted a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) with a leading U.S.-based virology laboratory to research its lead defensin mimetic drug candidate, Brilacidin, as a potential novel coronavirus treatment. Brilacidin has demonstrated broad and robust antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties in multiple FDA clinical trials in different indications.
Under terms of the agreement, Brilacidin’s potential inhibition of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 is planned to be assessed.
Discussions also are underway with a government-funded virology laboratory in Asia to assess Brilacidin across a range of RNA viruses. On a related note, the Company has submitted a preliminary summary of Brilacidin’s potential as a novel coronavirus treatment to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is dedicated to rapidly identifying and funding medical countermeasures to the COVID-19 outbreak.
As previously released, and as supported in the academic literature, defensin-based therapeutics represent an attractive potential intervention to combat coronavirus infections given their innate multifaceted immunomodulatory properties. Brilacidin, and other defensin mimetics similar in structure, have been tested against numerous clinical isolates of both gram-positive and gram-negative infectious pathogens, with strong activity exhibited across multiple isolates. Enveloped viruses have also been tested, with moderate activity noted.
The Review Article on coronaviruses linked to below suggests immunomodulators, like Brilacidin, might be promising therapeutic options, acting synergistically when combined with other antivirals.
· Zumia, A., et al. “Coronaviruses - Drug Discovery and Therapeutic Options.” Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2016 May;15(5):327-47. doi: 10.1038/nrd.2015.37. Epub 2016 Feb 12.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd.2015.37
The underlying theory is that once the viral load is reduced, the body’s natural immune response—possibly strengthened by Brilacidin administered post-infection as an adjuvant therapy—should be better able to fight off coronavirus complications. Defensin-based vaccines also have been proposed. Brilacidin, shown in pre-clinical tests to inhibit PDE4/PDE3, might provide added benefit as a result of this particular mechanism by: 1) disrupting viral replication; and 2) enhancing the protective role of natural surfactants in the lung, helping resolve respiratory problems common to the coronavirus.
Should laboratory tests support Brilacidin’s antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), and potentially other RNA viruses, the Company will look to expedite research and clinical development of Brilacidin as a potential antiviral therapy via pharmaceutical partnerships, academic collaborations and government grants.
The current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues to pose a significant life-threatening risk in China and throughout the rest of the world. Currently, over 79,000 cases have been diagnosed across 29 countries, including the U.S., resulting in nearly 2,600 reported deaths. There are growing signs the global economy is being severely impacted due to this emerging potential pandemic.
If the MTA is concluded, as the Company expects, the drug will be put into queue for testing. There is no assurance made or implied that testing of Brilacidin for any coronavirus will be conducted or successful.
The Company will keep shareholders apprised of news related to evaluating Brilacidin’s antiviral properties for potentially treating COVID-19, and other viruses, in addition to its core Brilacidin programs, in Ulcerative Colitis and Oral Mucositis.