Algernon Announces Enrollment of First Patient in 2b/3 Human Study of Ifenprodil for Treatment of COVID-19

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: AGN) (FRANKFURT: AGW) (OTCQB: AGNPF) (the “Company” or “Algernon”) a clinical stage pharmaceutical development company, is pleased to announce that it has enrolled its first patient in its multinational Phase 2b/3 human study of NP-120 (Ifenprodil) for the treatment of COVID-19. The countries participating in the study include the U.S., Australia, Romania and the Philippines.

“On March 6^th, 2020 the company announced it had decided to explore Ifenprodil as a possible treatment for COVID-19 and 5 months later we have now begun a Phase 2b/3 human trial,” said Christopher J. Moreau CEO of Algernon Pharmaceuticals. “We look forward to a speedy enrollment of the balance of the patients and we remain hopeful in Ifenprodil’s potential as a therapeutic that will reduce both the severity and duration of a COVID-19 infection.”

Background

The Company announced on March 06, 2020 that it was going to explore Ifenprodil as a possible treatment for COVID-19 when it discovered an independent research study that showed the drug was active in an animal model for H5N1, the world’s most lethal avian flu, with an approximately 60% mortality rate in humans. In the study, Ifenprodil reduced mortality by 40% and reduced acute lung injury and inflammation in the lung tissue.

On July 21, 2020 the Company highlighted a study undertaken by UT Dallas that identified a dramatic upregulation of NMDA receptors in immune cells in the lungs of COVID-19 patients. The study went on to identify possible drug candidates, including Ifenprodil, that could interfere with the receptor’s glutamate signalling pathway and as a result possibly reduce the severity and duration of a COVID infection. Ifenprodil is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist specifically targeting the NMDA-type subunit 2B (Glu2NB) preventing glutamate signalling.

Coupled with the Company’s own animal data showing Ifenprodil’s reduction of lung fibrosis in two separate studies, and its efficacy in an animal model for acute cough, the Company is investigating Ifenprodil to determine if it can reduce the severity and duration of a COVID infection.

Phase 2b/3 Study Protocol Summary

The Company’s multinational Phase 2b/3 human trial for COVID-19 is entitled, "A Randomized Open Label Phase 2b/3 Study of the Safety and Efficacy of NP-120 (Ifenprodil) for the Treatment of Hospitalized Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 Disease."