COVID19 - MEDICINE

The mysterious coronavirus have shaken the whole world. Until now no one has any answer to prevent this dangerous virus. However the pandemic had catalysed the development of novel coronavirus vaccine across the biotech industry,  both by pharmaceutical companies and research organisations in different countries.

1.China

The first Covid 19 vaccine in China was expected to be ready for clinical trials by the end of April, according to Xu Nanping, China's vice-minister for science and technology.

The National Medical Products Administration of China has approved the use of Favilavir, an anti-viral drug, as treatment for coronavirus. The clinical trial is being conducted in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

2. Oxford University

The University of Oxford's ChAdOx1 nCov-19 is an adenovirus vaccine vector developed by the University's Jenner Institute. The University is testing the vaccine in a clinical trial planned to be conducted in the Thames Valley Region.

3. Roivant Sciences Inc, NY, USA

Roivant Sciences is advancing the development of Gimsilumab a clinical stage, human monoclonal antibody. The drug targets granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) which is a pro-inflammatory cytokine found in high levels in the serum of Covid 19 patients.

4. University of Alabama, USA

Altimmune has collaborated with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to develop a single dose intranasal vaccine for Covid 19 named AdCOVID. The company is currently carrying out immunogenicity studies after which phase one clinical trial material will be developed.

5. TJM2 by 2-Mab Biopharma, USA

I-Mab Biopharma is developed TJM2, a neutralising antibody, as a treatment for cytokine storm in patients suffering from a severe case of coronavirus infection. The drug targets the human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) which is responsible for acute and chronic inflammation.

6. Medicago North Carolina, USA/Canada

Medicago is developing drug candidates against Covid 19 after having produced Virus-like Particles (VLP) of the coronavirus. The company has formed a collaboration with Laval University's Infectious Disease Research Centre to develop antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The company's research activities are being partially funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)

7. Airway Therapeutics, Cincinnati, USA

Airway Therapeutics is exploring it's novel human recombinant protein named AT-100 (rhSP-D) as a treatment for coronavirus. The company has announced a filing with the Respiratory Diseases Branch of the National Institute of Health to evaluate the drug. AT-100 has shown efficacy in preclinical studies in reducing inflammation and infection in the lungs, while also generating an immune response against various respiratory diseases.

8. Tiziana Life Sciences, London, UK

Tiziana Life Sciences is developing it's monoclonal antibody named TZLS-501 for the treatment of Covid 19. TZLS-501 is a human anti-interleukin-6

receptor (IL-6R), which helps in preventing lung damage and elevated levels of IL-6. The drug works by binding to IL-6R and depleting the amount of IL-6 circulating in the body thereby reducing chronic lung inflammation.

9. Oya Gen Inc, NY, USA

Oya Hen's Oya1 has shown strong antiviral efficacy against coronavirus in laboratory essays. It was found to be more effective than chlorpromazine HC1 in inhibiting SARS-Cov-2 from replicating in cell culture. OYA1 was earlier approved as an investigational new drug for treating cancer but abandoned due to lack of efficacy. OyaGen plans to conduct further research on the drug to determine the efficacy in treating coronavirus.

10. Serum Institute of India

SII is collaborating with Codagenix, a US based  biopharmaceutical company, to develop a cure for coronavirus using a vaccine  strain similar to the original virus. The vaccine is currently in the preclinical testing phase, while human trials are expected to commence in the next six months. SII is expected to launch the vaccine in the market by early 2022.

11. Italy

Italian researchers on Wednesday claimed that they have successfully developed a vaccine that can help contain the novel coronavirus that causes Covid19. According to a report, the new vaccine is likely to work on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has spread rapidly across the globe.

12. Hong Kong

Another candidate vaccine is being tested by Hong Kong listed biotech firm CanSino Biologics. Having started after the NIH trials, the company last week announced that Phase-I trials have been cleared and the vaccine is moving into Phase-II of the trial "based on the preliminary safety data of the Phase-I clinical trial". The result of that trial have not been made public.

There are some more firms from different countries are in different stages of the research. Various drug and therapy options are being tried around the world. Besides the global interests in the drug remdesivir, India has been talking about convalescent plasma therapy (in which the blood plasma of recovered Covid 19 patients, with antibodies, are transfused into the new patient); the Health Ministry has clarified it is a trial and not an approved treatment. Israel recently announced a "significant breakthrough" in development of monoclonal antibodies (those created from a single clone of cells) to treat Covid patients.

KV George

kvgeorgein@gmail.com