Sorrento Announces That Intranasal Administration of COVI-AMG Neutralizing Antibody Prevented COVID-19 Disease Progression in Infected Hamsters Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection - Seite 2

Based on interspecies allometric scaling methods, the 500 µg single dose of STI-2020 (IV) or STI-2099 COVI-DROPS (IN) administered to the hamsters in the preclinical studies would be equivalent to a human dose of approximately 45 mg of antibody (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4804402/). Sorrento plans to investigate the intranasal formulation of COVI-DROPS STI-2099 in patients recently testing positive for COVID-19 as simple intranasal drops.                

An image accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/065aabda-6b7e-4574 ...   

As illustrated, current neutralization antibodies (or antibody cocktails) known to be in development or under FDA EUA approval review are administered in large amounts (often in grams) that require infusions over hours in a hospital setting (Figure 1A). Sorrento’s intravenous COVI-AMG nAb (STI-2020) may require only an intravenous slow push due to the high potency demonstrated in animal models to date (Figure 1B). Furthermore, intranasal COVI-DROPS (STI-2099) may be able to be administered as simple intranasal drops (Figure 1C), which would avoid the need for IV infusion or injection and a hospital visit for treatment.

Sorrento is in the final stages of cGMP manufacture of both forms of the antibodies and anticipates submitting IND filings for both intravenous STI-2020 and intranasal COVI-DROPS STI-2099 in November 2020. Sorrento intends to initiate studies in healthy volunteers to establish pharmacokinetics and safety, while also initiating studies in newly infected COVID-19 patients to demonstrate safety and reduction of virus load and COVID-19 symptoms.

About Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. 
Sorrento is a clinical stage, antibody-centric, biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to treat cancers. Sorrento's multimodal, multipronged approach to fighting cancer is made possible by its extensive immuno-oncology platforms, including key assets such as fully human antibodies ("G-MAB library"), clinical stage immuno-cellular therapies ("CAR-T", "DAR-T"), antibody-drug conjugates ("ADCs"), and clinical stage oncolytic virus ("Seprehvir", “Seprehvec”). Sorrento is also developing potential antiviral therapies and vaccines against coronaviruses, including COVIDTRAP, ACE-MAB, COVI-MAB, COVI-GUARD, COVI-SHIELD, COVI-AMG and COVI-DROPS; and diagnostic test solutions, including COVI-TRACK, COVI-STIX and COVI-TRACE.