The 'Penicillin' of Antivirals, Xafty by Hyundai Bioscience, Opened a New Era of Treating Respiratory Viral Infections with Single Drug - Seite 2

Hyundai Bioscience overcame the challenge of niclosamide with its proprietary drug delivery technology using bio-compatible inorganic compound and polymer so that niclosamide is properly absorbed into the body and stays in the intestine for a prolonged time for slow release, enabling the effective antiviral concentration of niclosamide to be maintained for 5 days. The main target of the respiratory virus is the lung, where numerous blood vessels for oxygen supply exist. It was confirmed that Xafty delivers niclosamide well to the lung through the blood while maintaining an effective antiviral concentration. Hyundai Bioscience's animal testing demonstrated the concentration of niclosamide delivered to the lung was 2 to 10 times higher than in the blood.

Professor Woo said that the clinical result of Xafty has three meanings.

First, it made it possible to treat human viral infections by overcoming the problems (low absorption rate and short half-life) of niclosamide, which had been found to be effective in various viruses by in-vitro studies.

Second, it was confirmed that, if niclosamide is found to be effective against the respiratory virus by in-vitro or animal tests, treating the viral infection in humans can also be achieved.

Third, the viruses that has caused the pandemic so far are all respiratory and RNA viruses that cause endless mutations. Due to the nature of RNA viruses, it is impossible to develop a treatment for each individual virus.

Xafty presented an innovative way to treat multiple respiratory viral infections with a single drug.

More than half of viral infections are respiratory infections, and six families of viruses (Coronaviruses such as COVID-19, Orthomyxoviridae such as influenza, Paramyxoviridae, Picornaviridae, Adenoviridae, and Herpesviridae) are known to cause respiratory infections. Currently, there is no cure for respiratory viral infections other than COVID-19 and influenza and no drugs are discovered.

In-vitro studies from 2004 to 2021 have discovered that niclosamide, the main pharmaceutical ingredient of Xafty, is effective against not only the six families of respiratory viruses, but also against the eight families of viruses (Coronavirus including COVID-19, SARS and MERS, Orthomyxovirus, Paramyxovirus, Picorna virus, Flavivirus, Buniya virus, Filovirus, and Alphavirus) that NIH and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation decided to support the development of treatments for future pandemics.(U.S. Biden administration has decided to support $88.2 billion for 5 years to prepare for future pandemics.)