Canadian Covid pill potential Edmonton Journal Jan 18, 2022 RVX.T Published in Edmonton Journal Jan 18th, 2022 go view for full article but here are some broad lines…
An Alberta-developed drug heralded as a potential oral treatment for COVID-19 has begun testing at Edmonton’s University of Alberta hospital.
Enrolment and dosing has already begun at the Edmonton hospital to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of apabetalone, Alberta-based Resverlogix Corp. announced in a Tuesday press release. A total of 100 patients are expected to be enrolled over the coming weeks at multiple sites in Canada, including Calgary and Toronto and four sites in Brazil, said Donald McCaffrey, president and CEO of Resverlogix.
Apabetalone has a unique dual mechanism that may help stop disease progression by regulating the expression of disease and inflammation-causing genes, McCaffrey explains, helping to restore gene expression to a healthier state, without altering DNA.
McCaffrey said the drug is affordable as well, with each pill costing around $7. He said patients would take two pills a day for a couple of weeks, a month at most. If the testing phase goes over well, McCaffrey hopes the pills can be prescribed to people when they are diagnosed with COVID-19 and before they have to enter the hospital as a patient at all.