Published by Anthony Di Pizio
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This news by StarPharma Holdings (ASX:SPL) hit the market today. The below is a direct quote from the announcement:
''New data generated at Scripps Research Institute in the US shows that Starpharma's antiviral nasal spray active (SPL7013) is virucidal, inactivating more than 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19''
Note that SPL7013 is also referred to as astrodrimer sodium.
This appears to have confirmed the company's assumptions from prior testing:
The potency of SPL7013 was evident when used either before or after the exposure of cells, meaning the nasal spray could be used either before or after exposure to the virus.
This round of antiviral testing comes after promising announcements from the company in both April and August which we'll cover below. It was conducted in the laboratory of Professor Philippe Gallay at the internationally recognised Scripps Research Institute in the US.
The active component (SPL7013) is already being used in a range of Starpharma's products sold worldwide, meaning there could be an opportunity for fast-tracked regulatory approval which the company says they're working on.
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From the announcement:
''The selectivity of SPL7013 for SARS-CoV-2 in these assays was very high (selectivity index3 up to ~2200), indicating potent antiviral efficacy compared with minimal cellular toxicity. The selectivity index is a measure of therapeutic window. The high selectivity index of SPL7013 compares very favourably with the selectivity index against SARS-CoV-2 reported in the literature of 279 for remdesivir and 172 for chloroquine. In an assay to detect virucidal activity, SPL7013 also rendered SARS-CoV-2 inactive and prevented infection when it was mixed with the virus prior to adding to cells.''
This news is huge, given that data already exists at a preclinical and clinical level so regulatory approval should be more straightforward than in most cases. We are disappointed by the company's suggestion that the product may not be ready until the end of this year (in time for H1, 2021) because it may have been beaten to market by a vaccine by then.
As the world desperately searches for a solution to this virus, we really do need something yesterday. We're watching multiple developments at the moment and we will bring you anything else we find interesting.
We await further updates from the company.
ADS Capital does not cover Starpharma (ASX:SPL) and this article does not represent an endorsement.
You can view all of Starpharma's announcements here.
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