TFF Pharmaceuticals is drawing attention to in vitro data published by researchers at the University of Texas Austin which found that thin film freezing “produces high potency remdesivir dry powder formulations for inhalation suitable to treat patients with COVID-19 on an outpatient basis and earlier in the disease course where effective antiviral therapy can reduce related morbidity and mortality.” Results of the study, which were published online in bioRxiv, have not been peer reviewed.
Remdesivir is an antiviral developed by Gilead Sciences as an infusion that is being used to treat COVID-19 under an emergency use authorization; Gilead is now conducting studies with a nebulized formulation in COVID-19 patients. TFF Pharmaceuticals acknowledged that it does not currently have any agreement with Gilead regarding remdesivir and has not had talks with the company at this time.
The thin film freezing (TFF) technology used to create the dry powder remdesivir was developed at UT Austin by Robert O. Williams III, who co-authored the study. TFF Pharmaceuticals licensed the technology in 2018 and continues to work closely with UT Austin on a number of projects. The company’s pipeline includes dry powder voriconazole, tacrolimus, vaccines, and niclosamide, which has been licensed by Union Therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19.
TFF Pharmaceuticals President and CEO Glenn Mattes commented, “This significant new in vitro research continues to build and advance the seminal work done earlier by Dr. Williams and his team on reformulating remdesivir using our thin film freezing technology. This study developed significant new data on the delivery of high drug loads of remdesivir and its active form to the lungs, as well as confirmed the important temperature stability benefits that thin film freezing imparts on drug formulations, a potentially key factor in future vaccine delivery efforts.”
Read the TFF Pharmaceuticals press release.
