Health Canada Greenlights COVID-19 Phase 2 Clinical Trial for Patented Plant-based Curcumin Extract

A natural plant-based foods and wellness company has moved dramatically and quickly in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. And it’s doing it with a plant-based strategy and treatment based on a patented technology, incorporating the use of curcuminoids, which present strong anti-inflammatory for pulmonary conditions. Curcumin has received a great deal of recent scientific and media attention because of its anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antitumor activities.

Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. (NSP) (TSX: V.NSP, OTCQB: NSPDF, FRA: 50N, Forum) has been granted a “No Objection Letter” (NOL) by Health Canada to proceed with its COVID-19 Phase 2 Clinical Trial for the target drug CavaltinibTM.”

The Company says it has now submitted the clinical trial design protocol through the joint venture with Biologic Pharmamedical Research.

The Joint Venture is called Plasm Pharmamedical Inc. (PLASM) with the website URL: www.plasmpharma.com.

Biologic will license certain aspects of the patent comprising of the corresponding trademark, CavaltinibTM, to PLASM. The categories to be licensed will include, but are not be limited to COVID-19 applications, as well as respiratory indications that may rise out of the fast-tracked clinical trial. In addition to pursing a COVID-19 treatment, there is optimism that the trial and the ensuing research will help expand the indications for Cavaltinib™ for respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD, plus potentially reveal mechanisms of activity in cases of autoimmune diseases like colitis, Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis.


About CavaltinibTM: Calming the Cytokine Storm

CavaltinibTM is licensed to PLASM owned by Naturally Splendid and Biologic Pharmamedical Research, based on technology and patents developed previously by Biologic. The CavaltinibTM drug candidate has been shown to inhibit Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and several other cytokines central to the ‘cytokine storm’ phenomenon, where the human body begins to attack its own cells rather than just fighting off the virus, as often seen in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Cytokines are tiny, but nasty, proteins released by many different cells in the body, including those of the immune system where they coordinate the immune and inflammatory response against infection or other triggers. Sometimes the body’s response to the trigger can go into “overdrive” and such is the case-in the high-risk patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic.

CavaltinibTM displays novel pharmacology discovered by Biologic and has been shown to be a potential fit as a drug candidate for COVID-19 patient treatment. This candidate drug has been run through Biologic’s research program that was designed to study key drug targets involved in the regulation of immune system and inflammatory activity.

The research has already conclusively shown CavaltinibTM inhibits IL-6 and several other cytokines central to the 'cytokine storm' phenomenon.

The Company says it believes CavaltinibTM will show the same positive results in mitigating the cytokine storm with COVID-19 patients.

In conversation with Stockhouse Editorial, Company CEO & Director Craig Goodwin said the evolution to nutraceuticals and the eventual CavaltinibTM COVID-19 treatment was seamless and how they’re confident that CavaltinibTM is able to weather and beat the cytokine storm:

“Our focus right now is on our opportunity with Health Canada and the joint venture we’ve structured that we’re calling PLASM. What we were going to Health Canada with was to propose, and now they’ve accepted, to go for an increased percentage of higher dosage, capsule-delivered treatments for COVID-19. What we’re trying to do is mitigate the cytokine storms.”

Additionally, he says say that there are great opportunities for treatments outside of COVID-19 including conditions involving pain and inflammation, such as osteoarthritis, depression, high cholesterol, a type of liver disease, and even as an aid to weight loss.

INVESTOR UPDATE: Naturally Splendid has been pivoting from the CBD edibles space since Goodwin resumed the role of CEO in September 2019. CBD regulations simply have not evolved as anticipated by the industry. While many companies in the CBD space have seen shareholder value plummet, Naturally Splendid’s share price has seen steady growth with their renewed focus on plant-based foods and wellness.


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Savvy investors know the advantages of investing in well-financed, highly diversified companies with a laser-tight focus on developing trends and new treatment options. In this regard, there is no stronger category in the public market today than plant-based companies which is being driven by consumer demand for plant-based nutrition.

Naturally Splendid Enterprises appears to have hit the bullseye dead on with its promising CavaltinibTM COVID-19 treatment program...and appears poised to continue to expand their plant-based offerings.

Ironically, COVID-19 is increasing the popularity of plant-based meals as meat processing facilities continue to be COVID challenged with almost 300 such facilities being shut down for various periods in the United States and major meat processing facilities being closed down for stints in Canada as well.

When asked by Stockhouse whether this move to pharma was a bit of a stretch, Company CEO Goodwin responded with:

“Not at all. When co-founder Bryan Carson and I started Naturally Splendid over a decade ago, we were focussed on the nutritional benefits the superfood hemp and what it could deliver with its complete protein profile and amazing omega ratio. Fast forward to 2020 and we are still looking to deliver plant-based wellness to the masses. We were plant-based nutrition before plant-based nutrition was cool. So, we are in fact, very comfortable in where the Company is now positioned”.

For more information, visit NSP’s website at www.naturallysplendid.com.


FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a paid article produced by Stockhouse Publishing. Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. cautions that this news feature is not making any express or implied claims that we have the ability to eliminate the SARS-CoV-2 virus at this time.