ViralClear, a subsidiary of BioSig Technologies in Westport, has opened a phase two clinical trial for its antiviral merimepodib to treat COVID-19 in adults.
Merimepodib demonstrated decreased viral production of COVID-19 by over 90%, and when combined with Gilead’s remdesivir, to undetectable levels.
The double-blind study will be conducted at Mayo Clinic facilities in Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; and Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as St. David”™s Medical Center in Austin and at Atlantic Health System-Overlook Hospital and Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey.
The study “will enroll approximately 40 adult patients with advanced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) … (with) fever, cough, sore throat, malaise, headache, muscle pain, shortness of breath at rest or with exertion, confusion or symptoms of severe lower respiratory symptoms,” ViralClear said.
Half the subjects will receive a 10-day course of the drugs while the other half will receive a placebo.
The placebo-controlled trial will see merimepodib delivered in combination with remdesivir. The latter has had only limited success in patients with severe disease, but was effective in more than 70% of patients with moderate disease.
According to the company, ViralClear is, along with Gilead, one of only a few companies dosing COVID-19 human patients in phase two or three antiviral trials.
