Antiviral treatment for COPD reaches phase 2 development

Abstract graphic of gloved hands using a dropper to put fluid into a test tube

A promising treatment for COPD patients suffering from virus-induced exacerbations has secured financing for continued phase 2 research development.

Pneumagen, the UK-based clinical stage biotech company developing Neumifil, a broad-spectrum, antiviral intranasal drug for the treatment of viral respiratory tract infections in COPD patients, said that it has received more than $10 million in financing for the continued research and development of the treatment.

Neumafil is currently being evaluated in a phase 2a proof of concept human challenge study in healthy participants subsequently infected with influenza virus. The initial results of that study are expected later this year.

Neumafil is a engineered multivalent carbohydrate binding molecule that acts by directly binding and preventing the entry of the viral pathogens into the lungs with reduced susceptibility to direct viral resistance. It was developed using Pneumagen’s GlycoTage technology, which acts by stopping viruses at the site of infection, reducing their ability to enter cells and to migrate to the lungs.

Mark Bamforth, founder of life science investment firm Thairm Bio, said Neumafil has a highly promising profile based on early pre-clinical and clinical data.

“We believe Neumifil could address a large, unmet medical need by preventing virus induced exacerbations, which can be potentially lethal for some patients suffering from serious underlying respiratory disease,” he said.

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