Hepion Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:HEPA) recently released its initial clinical study evaluating its developmental anti-fibrotic drug CRV431’s ability to combat COVID-19.
The company revealed in its announcement on July 7 that its researchers observed significant efficacy in two COVID-19 preclinical research models. The first was an acute lung injury model, which demonstrated notable anti-inflammatory response. Some of the measures even revealed that it performed better than dexamethasone. The latter is a treatment that was recently recommended against the coronavirus.
The second model experimented using cell culture, and the results revealed that CRV431 has significant combatant abilities against SARS-CoV-2. The preclinical trial models’ findings highlight CRV431’s potential to address two of the most important aspects of the pursuit of a COVID-19 treatment.
Most of the people who contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus often suffer from respiratory illnesses such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), increasing the mortality rate in patients. ARDS usually leads to white blood cell inflammation and severe damage to the lung cells. One of the best possible approaches to ARDS is to use antiviral therapies to reduce the infection and decrease the likelihood of lung damage. This gives the patients a chance at survival.
“The treatment response to CRV431 was one of the best that we have seen to-date, matching or exceeding the efficacy of the steroid dexamethasone,” stated Hepion’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Daren Ure.
Dr. Daren also pointed out that further testing is necessary through more robust experiments to figure out just how efficient CRV431 will be against the coronavirus. However, the preliminary preclinical results represent an important milestone that will support advanced studies involving developmental treatment.
If CRV431 proves to be an effective COVID-19 treatment, it will significantly relieve patients suffering from severe lung disease. It will also be an important step forward in the fight against the global pandemic, which currently threatens millions of lives. Hepion has also vowed to invest significant resources towards advancing the potential treatment for severe lung disease. It also revealed that it is willing to strike collaborative deals that will help speed up the development of CRV431.
