There is a “strong clinical rationale” to continue the evaluation of SNG001, according to Phillip Monk, the chief scientific officer of Synairgen PLC (AIM:SNG, OTC:SYGGF), the company that developed and deployed the treatment in Covid patients.
While phase III assessment of the inhaled interferon beta drug failed to meet its clinical goal (principally because of improved care), closer scrutiny of the data has revealed its underlying potential in high-risk groups.
Specifically, there appears to have been a clinically significant impact on those people in the Covid trial who showed clinical signs of compromised respiratory function. In all, this cohort was around a third of the study group.
Researchers found the risk of progression to severe disease and death compared to a medicinally inert placebo was reduced by 70% by taking SNG001.
“These results provide a strong clinical rationale to continue to investigate SNG001 in a trial evaluating progression and/or mortality in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and more widely in patients with severe viral lung infections,” said Monk.
The data emanated from what is called a post hoc assessment of Synairgen’s SPRINTER phase III study.
They will be presented on Monday at the Clinical Trials Symposium of the American Thoracic Society International Conference, being held in San Francisco.
A separate poster carrying the information will be unveiled on Tuesday.