A Ruddington based drug development company has announced a new collaboration which aims to speed up the process of getting a drug to reduce Coronavirus symptoms into human clinical trials.
Quotient Sciences
, which has its head office at Trent House on Mere Way, and employs around 400 staff, has teamed up with Pittsburgh based CytoAgents, Inc – a privately run American biotechnology company which focuses on the development of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of viral infectious diseases.
Scientific consensus is building that severe illness caused by COVID-19 and other infectious diseases is triggered by a phenomenon known as “cytokine storm,” an excessive immune response that attacks the body. They will be testing a drug named GP1681 – a small molecule inhibitor of cytokine release in activated human immune cells which has been shown to safely modulate the natural immune response by damping down various cytokines. The company says GP1681 addresses an unmet need for therapeutic treatment by targeting the underlying cause of life-threatening symptoms associated with cytokine storm, which can cause more harm than the virus itself.
Mark Egerton, CEO of Quotient Sciences, says: “The COVID-19 pandemic has caught humanity off guard, and we need to act swiftly to bring new medicines to patients around the world. We are delighted to support CytoAgents with the product development of GP1681.”
CytoAgents’ CEO Teresa Whalen adds: “Our mission is to create a powerful, lasting solution, not just for the current crisis but for any respiratory epidemic, thereby saving lives and reducing the strain on healthcare facilities. Working with Quotient Sciences is a major milestone for CytoAgents in its accelerated path for a universal treatment for COVID-19-related or any respiratory epidemic.”
Under the agreement, CytoAgents will access Quotient’s formulation and manufacturing expertise to develop and rapidly supply drug product for Phase I and II testing in 2020. In parallel, Quotient will work to develop a scalable solid oral dosage form for larger patient trials and commercialisation.
Although Quotient is well known for running regular clinical trials at its residential facility in Ruddington, in this case the program will be conducted at Garnet Valley, PA. Here the company has a specialised drug handling and containment facility suitable for highly potent drugs.
{Top image courtesy of Daniel Roberts from Pixabay.}
