20 October 2020
Aridis Pharmaceuticals announced that it has developed a neutralising monoclonal antibody, AR-711, obtained from recovered Covid-19 patients. Preclinical data found that the antibody removed all traces of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in infected animals with fewer doses than when injected with Covid-19 monoclonal antibodies. AR-711 is designed to be long-acting and remain in the patient’s blood for a period of six to 12 months.
Evotec announced that its biotechnology arm, Just – Evotec Biologics, has secured a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help develop antibody drugs to prevent Covid-19. The grant is part of the World Health Organization‘s Covid-19 Therapeutics Accelerator initiative to support the development of monoclonal antibody drugs to treat Covid-19.
Atossa Therapeutics announced that it has completed the enrolment for its Phase I clinical study of proprietary nasal spray drug AT-301. The drug may help many people who do not need immediate hospitalisation to manage their symptoms at home, according to the Atossa CEO, Steven Quay.
Mateon Therapeutics announced that it has received approval from the regulatory agency of Argentina to conduct phase II clinical trial on OT-101, a TGF-β inhibitor against Covid-19. Argentina ranks fifth highest in the world with respect to confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the data collected by John Hopkins University.
