Synairgen joins Parexel Biotech to study the COVID-19 drug



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Parexel Biotech, a division of drug development services company Parexel, has entered into a strategic partnership with Synairgen, a respiratory treatment development company. The two will collaborate in the conduct of a Phase III study on SNG001, in the inhaled formulation of a treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) for hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

The study is designed to evaluate SNG001’s ability to accelerate recovery among hospitalized COVID-19 patients receiving oxygen. According to the companies, the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial aims to enroll 900 patients in around 20 countries.

Outsourcing-Pharma (OSP) recently spoke with Bertrand Sohier (BS), senior vice president and head of the global therapeutic area for general medicine with Parexel, about the SNG001 study and the challenges of conducting clinical research during a pandemic.

OSP: Could you tell us a little more about SNG001 and how it has been studied as a potential COVID-19 therapy?

BS: SNG001 is a (IFN-beta) administered directly into the lung by nebulization. Interferons have been used for many years as antiviral treatments.

Historically, interferons have been part of hepatitis C treatment and have likely saved millions of lives. Our body produces interferons in response to viral infections, so it is an innate and natural antiviral compound. They protect cells from viral infection and inhibit or reduce viral replication through several mechanisms.

Therefore, it is not surprising that interferon is being evaluated as a therapy for COVID-19. SNG001 was initially developed to reduce the rate of viral infection among COPD patients. It is nebulized to obtain a very high concentration within the airways.

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