German biotech Ventaleon, a spin-off of Activaero, which was acquired by Vectura in 2014, presented data from a Phase 2 trial of inhaled D, L-lysine acetylsalicylate glycine (LASAG) in severe influenza at the recent ISAM Congress that show inhibition of a signaling factor required for flu virus replication.
The double-blind placebo-controlled study, in 41 hospitalized patients, met its primary endpoint of significantly reduced time to alleviation of flu symptoms, with patients who inhaled LASAG free of symptoms an average of 18 hours sooner than patients who received an inhaled placebo. LASAG was well tolerated with a similar safety profile to placebo.
Ventaleon CEO Ulrich Dauer commented, “We are excited with the results presented for inhaled LASAG in patients with severe influenza, as they clearly support advancing this program in development. We just initiated a Phase 1b challenge study to show the causal effect of LASAG inhalation on the influenza virus, which is an important step in preparing for pivotal trials.”
Read the Ventaleon press release.
