Work carried out by researchers at the world-famous Johns Hopkins in the US appears to underline the potential of Evgen Pharma PLC’s (LON:EVG) lead drug in battling Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Researchers found that sulforaphane, the active ingredient in the company’s multi-purpose treatment, SFX-01, prevents virus-induced cell death sparked by variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and another unnamed Coronavirus.
In addition, the Johns Hopkins team went on to demonstrate the drug inhibited toxicity to cells as a pre-treatment before inoculation while also acting “synergistically” with antiviral drug remdesivir.
Results from the lab-based work formed the basis of a recent pre-print publication that was released before it was peer-reviewed “given the urgency of the current pandemic”.
SFX-01 is being administered to treat people with severe COVID in the STAR clinical trial being carried out by scientists at Dundee University.
An interim analysis of the first hundred patients in the STAR study is expected sometime this quarter.
Of the Johns Hopkins update, Evgen chief executive, Huw Jones, said: “If the data continue to demonstrate efficacy after peer review, they underpin and support the hypothesis we are testing with the University of Dundee in the STAR COVID-19 clinical study.”