MediciNova Announces Plans to Initiate a Clinical Trial of MN-166 (ibudilast) for COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

LA JOLLA, Calif., April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (NASDAQ:MNOV) and the JASDAQ Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Code Number: 4875), today announced that it will initiate a clinical trial of MN-166 (ibudilast) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019).

The study will be conducted by Yale’s Advanced Therapies Group, which is co-directed by Richard Bucala, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology at Yale School of Medicine and Rheumatologist-in-Chief at Yale New Haven Health.  Dr. Bucala, is credited with the cloning of MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor) and its receptor and led prior efforts targeting MIF in autoimmunity and in cancer.

The lead Principal Investigator (PI) for this trial is Dr. Geoffrey Chupp, Professor of Medicine (Pulmonology), Director of the Yale Center for Asthma and Airway Disease and Director of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory at Yale-New Haven Hospital.  The co-investigators include Dr. Maor Sauler, a physician scientist in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine who specializes in adult critical care including acute lung injury and sepsis, and Dr. Insoo Kang, Director, Allergy & Immunology, who are also members of the COVID-19 Advanced Therapeutic Group.

“We are very excited to partner with MediciNova to pursue this novel approach for the treatment of lethal inflammation in COVID-19 patients,” commented Dr. Richard Bucala. “This study is especially gratifying because MN-166’s inhibition of MIF activity was discovered in Yale Pharmacology by Elias Lolis, Ph.D.  We believe MN-166 has the potential to reduce the mortality of COVID-19 by limiting the hyperinflammation and ARDS associated with severe cases.”

Dr. Geoffrey Chupp commented, “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to study MN-166 in COVID-19-induced ARDS patients and look forward to initiating treatment.  We currently have approximately 200 COVID-19 patients at Yale with 34 on ventilators.  We are hopeful that MN-166 will help patients with the most severe cases of COVID-19.”

Yuichi Iwaki, M.D. Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of MediciNova, Inc., commented, “We are very pleased to announce initiation of a clinical trial of MN-166 in ARDS caused by COVID-19. This study also will allow investigators to determine the optimal dose and route of administration in these very critical patients.”