According to North Carolina-based startup Inhalon Biopharma, the US Army Medical Research & Development Command (USAMRDC) has awarded the company a contract worth $7 million for a Phase 1/2a study of its IN-006 inhaled neutralizing monoclonal antibody for the treatment of COVID-19 in an outpatient setting. The company expects topline results to be available in 2022.
Inhalon, which is a member of the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC), is developing inhaled antibodies based on “muco-trapping” technology licensed from the University of North Carolina and Johns Hopkins University. The company’s pipeline includes therapies for the treatment of several types of respiratory infections, including RSV and metapneumovirus.
Inhalon President and CEO John Whelan said, “Inhalon’s unique ‘muco-trapping’ inhaled antibody platform is ideally suited to quickly halt the COVID-19 infection by concentrating antibody therapy in the respiratory tract where the virus proliferates. We are very pleased that USAMRDC has seen the potential in our breakthrough approach and chose to support our clinical studies, which we look forward to initiating this summer following productive discussions with the FDA.”
MTEC President William Howell said, “The USAMRDC assessed the merits of Inhalon’s novel technology and planned study as outstanding. We believe that Inhalon’s inhaled therapy offers many attractive benefits for patients and the healthcare system that are not available with intravenous or other systemically-dosed treatments.”
Read the Inhalon Biopharma press release.
