Austrian biotech APEPTICO said that it has signed a grant agreement with the European Commission to accelerate the availability of the company’s solnatide (AP301), an inhaled peptide, available for treatment of patients with severe COVID-19. APEPTICO had been invited to apply for a grant through the Horizon 2020 “Advancing knowledge for the clinical and public health response to the 2019-nCoV epidemic” program.
In 2014, APEPTICO CEO Bernhard Fischer described the development of the inhaled peptide that was then in Phase 1 development for the treatment of intubated patients suffering from pulmonary edema and mentioned that the company also wanted to develop a dry powder formulation for the potential treatment of altitude sickness. At DDL 26 the following year, Hovione’s Isabel Lopes described the development of an API-only DPI formulation of AP301.
Two Phase 2 clinical trials of nebulized solnatide have been completed, one in mechanically-ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and lung edema and one in lung transplant patients with primary graft dysfunction.
Fischer commented, “We are very happy that the European Commission agreed with APEPTICO and the “solnatide-consortium” to financially support us in the consortium’s effort to make solnatide IMP available for the treatment of severely affected patients with the new coronavirus. By offering our solnatide IMP for the immediate treatment of patients, APEPTICO commits its responsibilities towards the society.”
Read the APEPTICO press release.
