C.AGN offer Pharma drug fr Corona
Algernon to make NP-120 drug available to physicians
2020-03-06 11:45 ET - News Release
Mr. Christopher Moreau reports
ALGERNON ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF ITS NP-120 IFENPRODIL DRUG FOR COMPASSIONATE USE FOR CORONAVIRUS
Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. will set aside some of its NP-120 (ifenprodil) drug supply from its planned phase 2 study (for idiopathic fibrosis and chronic cough) to make it available on a compassionate-use basis to physicians and their patients with the most serious cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The decision was made based on the results of an independent study of ifenprodil, which showed a 40-per-cent improvement in mortality and significantly reduced acute lung injury (ALI) in a recent H5N1 animal study. H5N1 is one of the most lethal forms of influenza known, with a 53-per-cent mortality rate.
Since ifenprodil is an already approved drug with a known safety history, it can be safely administered to patients without additional preclinical testing.
"If we see a similar response in coronavirus patients as seen in the H5N1 animal study, a far more lethal form of influenza, we believe that patient outcomes should be significantly improved," commented Christopher J. Moreau, chief executive officer of Algernon.
Algernon welcomes contact from health organizations and physicians globally to learn more about NP-120.
Management's belief that NP-120 is a possible treatment for COVID-19 is based on historic animal studies and not on human trials.
About NP-120
NP-120 is an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NDMA) receptor glutamate receptor antagonist specifically targeting the NMDA-type subunit 2B (Glu2NB). Ifenprodil also exhibits agonist activity for the Sigma-1 receptor, a chaperone protein up-regulated during endoplasmic reticulum stress. Although the anti-fibrotic activity of ifenprodil in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is not known, recent studies have suggested a link between both receptors and pathways associated with fibrosis.
About Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Algernon Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical development company that is focused on advancing its lead compounds for: non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); chronic kidney disease (CKD); inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; and chronic cough.
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