Cocrystal Pharma Inc (NASDAQ:COCP)’s lead drug candidate – CDI-45205, the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitor, shows promising results against SARS-CoV-2 and its other two variants.
Demonstrates excellent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants
Cocrystal’s third-party lab evaluated CDI-45205 and its analogs antiviral activity in in-vitro studies against the UK variant (B.1.1.7), SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan strain), and the South African variant (B.1.351).
In the preclinical studies, CDI-45205 and its analogs demonstrated improved antiviral activity against the coronavirus variants. It successfully acted against the Wuhan strain. The company included PF-remdesivir, an FDA-approved RNA polymerase inhibitor, and another SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitor – PF-00835231, in the preclinical trial as the comparators.
CDI-45205 showed improved antiviral activity against the coronavirus variant found in the UK with 1.9 uM EC50 compared to remdesivir’s 0.6 uM EC50 and PF-00835231’s >100 uM EC50. It is also effective against the South African variant with 2.5 uM EC50.
Cocrystal’s Interim CEO, Sam Lee, is pleased with the highly encouraging results of its CDI-45205, the lead protease inhibitor, against SARS-CoV-2 and its two other variants. He said the company would continue evaluating the drug against other emerging covid variants that include the delta variant noticed in India.
Selects CDI-45205 under a licensing pact with KSURF
Cocrystal selected CDI-45205 in December 2020 as its lead covid drug candidate under a license agreement with KSURF (Kansas State University Research Foundation) entered in early 2020.
The drug demonstrated improved bioavailability in the pharmacokinetic studies conducted in rats and mice. It did not observe any cytotoxicity in human cell lines.
CDI-45205 showed excellent synergic effect with the FDA-approved synergistic effect with remdesivir. The daily administration of CDI-45205 via injection showed a favorable in-vivo efficacy in mice infected with MERS-CoV. Enthused with excellent preclinical study results, Cocrystal would continue the evaluation of CDI-45205.
Cocrystal will advance the discovery/ development of innovative antiviral compounds and save several million lives from the clutches of deadly coronavirus and other emerging viruses. Therefore, the company will enjoy excellent marketing opportunities for these innovative drug formulations and provide rich dividends to the shareholders.
In Q1 2021, the company completed all its R&D activities under an exclusive global license with Merck and a collaboration accord for influenza AAC (A/B antiviral compounds).
The company extended its drug discovery collaboration agreement with InterX and HitGen.
