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Kevzara (sarilumab) / Asahi Kasei, Regeneron, Sanofi; remdesivir (GS-5734) / GileadN.J. hospital flooded by Covid-19 patients begins clinical drug trials (NJ.com) - Mar 27, 2020 - "Holy Name Medical Center...is conducting trials of two drugs to treat the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. 'We are trying to do clinical trials of a drug, Kevzara, and expanded access (compassionate use) of the drug remdesivir,' Saggar said."ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 / Jenner Institute, University of OxfordOxford Covid-19 vaccine programme opens for clinical trial recruitment (Mirage News) - Mar 27, 2020 - "University of Oxford researchers...have started screening healthy volunteers (aged 18-55) today for their upcoming ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine trial in the Thames Valley Region....The team will enrol healthy volunteers aged between 18 – 55....The trial...will recruit up to 510 volunteers, who will receive either the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or a control injection for comparison."AdCOVID (COVID-19 vaccine) / AltimmuneAltimmune announces financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019 and provides a corporate update (GlobeNewswire, Altimmune, Inc.) - Mar 27, 2020 - “…Company began development of AdCOVID, a vaccine candidate to protect against COVID-19. The Company designed and created the vaccine candidate…and plans to begin animal testing in Q2 2020. The Company is engaged in discussions with a number of organizations who are addressing this crisis, including The United States Medical Countermeasures Task Force, The World Health Organization, academia, and other institutions engaged in the effort.”leronlimab (PRO 140) / CytoDyn, Vyera PharmaCytoDyn files FDA-suggested modifications to IND and protocol for phase 2 clinical trial for Covid-19 patients with mild to moderate indications and a second randomized protocol for all Covid-19 patients in severe condition will be filed next week per FDA recommendation (GlobeNewswire, CytoDyn Inc.) - Mar 27, 2020 - "CytoDyn Inc....announced today that, at the suggestion of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Company filed another round of modifications to its IND and protocol for a Phase 2 clinical trial with leronlimab (PRO 140). In addition, the FDA suggested the Company file a second randomized protocol for all COVID-19 patients in severe condition, so as to preclude each physician from filing an emergency IND for every patient to be treated with leronlimab....The first Phase 2 clinical trial...is a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of leronlimab in patients with mild to moderate documented COVID-19 illness and calls for 75 planned patients in up to 10 centers in the United States."Kevzara (sarilumab) / Asahi Kasei, Regeneron, SanofiTwo clinical studies to treat Covid-19 launched (Medical Xpress) - Mar 27, 2020 - "UC Davis is one of up to 50 sites in the U.S. assessing sarilumab....Approximately 400 hospitalized patients age 18 and older with acute COVID-19 infection can be enrolled in the study nationwide....The researchers will be determining whether the health of individuals with high IL-6 levels and severe/critical levels of infection improve with the drug. The study is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. Timothy Albertson, professor and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, is leading the study at UC Davis."Arcturus Covid-19 vaccine to benefit from Duke-NUS genetic correlation system (GlobeNewswire, Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc.) - Mar 27, 2020 - “Arcturus Therapeutics…today provided details about the Company’s strategy to rapidly learn about the safety and efficacy profile of its COVID-19 vaccine using Duke-NUS' genetic correlation system….Arcturus’ COVID-19 vaccine, LUNAR-COV19, is based on its STARR™ and LUNAR® technologies.”EIDD-2801 / Emory University, Ridgeback BiotherapEmory-discovered antiviral is poised for Covid-19 clinical trials (Chemical & Engineering News) - Mar 27, 2020 - "A small-molecule antiviral discovered by Emory University chemists could soon start human testing against COVID-19....That’s the plan of Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, which licensed the compound, EIDD-2801, from an Emory nonprofit....EIDD-2801 lacks human safety data. Ridgeback founder and CEO Wendy Holman says she expects the US Food and Drug Administration to give the green light for a Phase I study in COVID-19 infections within “weeks, not months.”"remdesivir (GS-5734) / GileadTwo clinical studies to treat Covid-19 launched (Medical Xpress) - Mar 27, 2020 - "UC Davis Health has two clinical trials underway for hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19....UC Davis is one of approximately 75 sites worldwide evaluating the benefits of remdesivir for severe COVID-19 infection....The study will enroll up to 440 patients over the next several months, including about 10 or more at UC Davis....It is part of the study recently launched at the University of Nebraska."leronlimab (PRO 140) / CytoDyn, Vyera PharmaLeronlimab used in seven patients with severe Covid-19 demonstrated promise with two intubated patients in ICU, removed from ICU and extubated with reduced pulmonary inflammation (GlobeNewswire, CytoDyn Inc.) - Mar 27, 2020 - "CytoDyn Inc....announced today the three-day results post-leronlimab treatment of the first four patients under an Emergency Investigational New Drug (EIND)....'We found that patients with severe COVID-19 disease are in the midst of immunologic chaos which includes the cytokine storm. Our companion diagnostics showed that after three days of therapy, the immune profile in these patients approached normal levels and the levels of cytokines involved in the cytokine storm were much improved'."Rare case of Pulmonary Necrotic Rhodococcus equi infection in a Kidney Pancreas Transplant Recipient. (NKF-CSM 2020) - Mar 27, 2020 - Abstract #463; "At the time of presentation, he was on tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, prednisone and basiliximab for immunosuppression...He was prescribed azithromycin, doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin by his local providers with no improvement...He was started on IV vancomycin, meropenem for 6 weeks and his symptoms improved...He recieved voriconazole for his aspergilllus for 12 months... R.equi is a unique Acid fast positive cocci and a intracellular pathogen.We report a very rare case of Rhodococcus infection in a kidney pancreas transplant recipient which was successfully treated without surgical intervention. Choice of antibiotics was challenging while maintaining dual organ transplant function and avoiding acute rejection."
