So far no drug has been developed to fight the Covid-19, even as fatalities and cases surge every minute. The urgency has pushed the countries and pharma companies to work on developing one drug. Many are into it, individually and unitedly. Here are some medicines in the pipeline.
The first Covid-19 vaccine in China is expected to be ready for clinical trials by the end of April. Inovio Pharmaceuticals plans to begin clinical trials on a coronavirus vaccine .
WHO has reported that that Gilead’s remdesivir has demonstrated efficacy in treating the coronavirus infection while the US has started the clinical trials on one vaccine.
The National Medical Products Administration of China has approved the use of Favilavir, an anti-viral drug, as a treatment for coronavirus. The drug has reported efficacy with minimal side effects in a clinical trial involving 70 patients in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
TJM2 by I-Mab Biopharma: I-Mab Biopharma is developed TJM2, a neutralising antibody, and is hoping to start the trials soon.
Vaccine by Medicago: Medicago is developing drug after having produced Virus-Like Particles (VLP) of the coronavirus. The company has tied up with the Laval University’s Infectious Disease Research Centre and is partly funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR).
AT-100 by Airway Therapeutics: Airway Therapeutics is exploring its novel human recombinant protein named AT-100 (rhSP-D) as a treatment for coronavirus.
TZLS-501 by Tiziana Life Sciences: Tiziana Life Sciences is developing its monoclonal antibody named TZLS-501.
OYA1 by OyaGen: OyaGen’s OYA1 has shown antiviral efficacy against coronavirus in laboratory essays. OYA1 was earlier approved as an investigational new drug for treating cancer.
BPI-002 by BeyondSpring: BeyondSpring’s BPI-002 is a small molecule agent indicated for treating various infections including COVID-19BeyondSpring has filed US patent protection for the drug for treating viral infections.
Altimmune’s intranasal coronavirus vaccine: An intranasal Covid-19 vaccine is being developed by US-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, Altimmune.
INO-4800 by Inovio Pharmaceuticals and Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology: Inovio Pharmaceuticals has collaborated with Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology Company for the vaccine, INO-4800, as a novel coronavirus vaccine and started preclinical tests with support of a $9m grant from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The company has also prepared 3,000 doses for human clinical trials planned to be conducted across the US, China, and South Korea.
NP-120 (Ifenprodil) by Algernon Pharmaceuticals: Algernon Pharmaceuticals has announced that it is exploring its NP-120 (Ifenprodil) as a potential treatment Covid-19.
APN01 by University of British Columbia and APEIRON Biologics: A drug candidate developed by APEIRON Biologics named APN01 is being tested in China in a phase one pilot trial as a treatment for Covid-19.
mRNA-1273 vaccine by Moderna and Vaccine Research Center: Moderna and the Vaccine Research Center, a unit of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), have collaborated to develop a vaccine for coronavirus. The vaccine targets the Spike (S) protein of the coronavirus.
Avian Coronavirus Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) vaccine by MIGAL Research Institute: The MIGAL Research Institute in Israel announced that an Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) vaccine developed to treat avian coronavirus has been modified to treat Covid-19. The vaccine has demonstrated efficacy in pre-clinical trials conducted by the Volcani Institute.
TNX-1800 by Tonix Pharmaceuticals: Tonix Pharmaceuticals has partnered with Southern Research, a non-profit research organisation, to develop a coronavirus vaccine named TNX-1800.
Recombinant subunit vaccine by Clover Biopharmaceuticals: Clover Biopharmaceuticals is developing a recombinant subunit vaccine using its patented Trimer-Tag© technology.
Remdesivir (GS-5734) by Gilead Sciences: An ebola drug developed by Gilead Sciences that was found to be ineffective is now being tested in two phase III randomised clinical trials in Asian countries.
Actemra by Roche to treat coronavirus-related complications: China approved the use of Roche’s Actemra for the treatment of severe complications related to coronavirus. The clinical trial is expected to be conducted until May 10.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has announced plans to develop a plasma-derived therapy against coronavirus.
Pfizer: Pfizer announced that it has identified certain under development antiviral compounds that may be effective in treating coronavirus. The company is planning to partner with a third party to screen and identify potential compounds by the end of March and begin testing in April.
Serum Institute of India: Serum Institute of India (SII) is collaborating with Codagenix, a US-based biopharmaceutical company, to develop a coronavirus cure using a vaccine strain similar to the original virus.
Zydus Cadila: Zydus Cadila announced the launch of an accelerated research programme to develop a vaccine for Covid-19 using two novel approaches.
