Genexine’s cytokine drug effective in treating coronavirus patients, new study suggests
pharmafile | August 27, 2020 | News story | Research and Development | COVID-19
Genexine’s recent clinical trial investigating how its cytokine therapy treats coronavirus has proven effective, according to the company.
The recent study took place in the UK and tested patients suffering from severe COVID-19 symptoms. The treatment is a long-acting interleukin-7 therapy, which is a non-redundant cytokine. The study showed that the treatment effectively restored the number of T cells while not causing side effects, such as cytokine storm, which is a fatal overreaction of the immune system that can actually be triggered by the coronavirus itself.
The rate of secondary infection was 58%, which was lower than the 85% rate for those who did not receive the therapy.
COVID-19 patients often experience critically low numbers of T cells, so the effectiveness and safety of Genexine’s treatment is welcome news. Most current coronavirus treatments suppress the spread of the virus, while the company’s interleukin-7 is the first to increase T cells to actually combat the virus.
Genexine is developing this treatment while also creating a coronavirus vaccine based on similar technology. Its GX-17 treatment is undergoing clinical trials in the US through the company’s spinoff NeoImmuneTech, and it is also a long-acting interleukin-7 therapy. It entered Phase 1/2 trials in June.
It has already been testing the treatment on primates and showed it can produce antibodies capable of neutralising coronavirus.
Conor Kavanagh
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