Ceapro Inc. Provides Update on Development of an Inhalable Therapeutic for COVID-19 - Seite 2

“We are excited that we have been able to fabricate particles that have the targeted properties for inhalation, enabling the effective delivery of the particles to patients’ lungs pending the safety and efficacy animal trials now underway. As this project continues, our confidence in the potential of Ceapro’s materials to treat late-stage COVID-19 patients and make a real-time impact on preserving lives during the pandemic continues to build,” reported Dr. Todd Hoare.

Dr. Kjetil Ask added, “If this size optimized PGX-YBG passes the tolerability, safety and therapeutic animal tests that we have already initiated, this material could quite quickly contribute as an immune modulator and anti-fibrotic treatment option for the most severe COVID-19 patients. Additionally, and equally exciting, the possibility of using PGX-YBG as an inhalable carrier of other drugs, would potentially allow the direct delivery of additional treatment options and increase their bioavailability in the lung, while reducing potential side effects.”

In parallel to the animal studies conducted at McMaster University, Ceapro also outsourced an in-vitro study to assess the immune response of the PGX-YBG on human receptors. The activity of PGX-YBG was tested on two human Dectin isotypes (Dectin-1a and Dectin-1b) involved in the modulation of the innate human immune response. The conclusion of this in-vitro study was that PGX-YBG exhibited significant stimulatory effect on human Dectin-1a and Dectin-1b receptors. Due to the results seen in the in-vitro study, the Company expects that PGX-YBG will stimulate the human immune response once inhaled into the lungs and potentially prevent reactions like the cytokine storm. The results demonstrated in the in-vitro study were also consistent with results seen in the preliminary biological study where PGX-YBG was found to modulate the immune system without causing the undesirable side-effects associated with other yeast beta-glucan.

“We are very proud of the work that has been conducted so far and believe we are well-positioned to offer an additional tool in the fight against COVID-19, which is having devastating effects worldwide. With the expected completion of the third and fourth goals related to tolerability, safety and efficacy studies with both naïve and pre-clinical animal models as early as mid-October, our teams are positioning us to be ahead of schedule. Hoping for favorable pre-clinical results, preparations of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial protocol will be commenced immediately and planned to be submitted to Health Authorities during Q4 2020. Given that yeast beta-glucan is already approved as a pharmaceutical additive, we expect to quickly develop PGX-YBG as a fast-acting inhalable stand-alone therapeutic and/or delivery system to treat severe inflammation observed in COVID-19 patients and other fibrotic end-point disease in the lung,” commented Gilles Gagnon, M.Sc., MBA, President and CEO of Ceapro. “We look forward to providing continued updates as we progress through the next milestones of this study.”