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According to the World Health Organization and ClinicalTrials.gov, there are currently 1,114 ongoing clinical studies of treatments for COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization and ClinicalTrials.gov, there are currently 1,114 ongoing clinical studies of treatments for COVID-19. A GlobalData analysis indicates that so far, 21 of the trials have reported interim results, and out of them, 16 showed positive early results. Two of those studies are for Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, which has since been granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ad (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “These clinical trials are in phases, with 69% of them in early stage trials (Phase I to Phase II),” says Scotty Chung-Siu, senior analyst of MPH at GlobalData. “Majority of them are investigating different drugs, either alone or combination treatments, with one using a secondary intervention. The four multinational clinical trials that are planning to enroll the most subjects are investigating remdesivir, sarilumab and bevacizumab. One of the drugs that recently had positive clinical trials results is remdesivir.” Sarilumab is a rheumatoid arthritis drug jointly developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi. It is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the interleukin-6 (IL-6) pathway. IL-6 is believed to play a role in the overactive inflammatory response in COVID-19 patients. Bevacizumab, sold by Genentech under the brand name Avastin, is a cancer drug that inhibitsVascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). VEGF has been observed in higher levels in COVID-19 patients. GlobalData notes, “Not all of the drugs had positive results. Hydroxychloroquine, an immunosuppressive drug often touted by U.S. President Donald Trump, ahs recently failed to meet endpoints and saw adverse events in a retrospective study. Moreover, the patients treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher mortality rate. Nonetheless, the number of clinical trials investigating hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine as a primary or secondary drug continues to expand.” Chung-Siu says, “There are two clinical trials that showed early negative results for efficacy and safety. One is a Phase III clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of darunavir and cobicistat in the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia. The other study is a Phase II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of chloroquine for the treatment of hospitalized subjects with severe acute respiratory syndrome. Both interventional trials have the same expected end date of 31 August 2020.” Darunavir is an antiretroviral drug for HIV marketed by Johnson & Johnson under the name Prezista, and by other names by other companies. Cobicistat is marketed by Gilead for HIV under the name Tybost. Other drugs on the short list include: DAS-181, an experimental drug by Ansun Biopharma that is under development for hospitalized, immunocompromised patients with lower respiratory tract parainfluenza virus infection; CytoDyn’s leronlimab, for HIV; Athersys’ MultiStem, a stem cell treatment for neurological, inflammatory and immune, and cardiovascular diseases; nitric oxide , such as Mallinckrodt’s INOmax; Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals’ mavrilimumab, an antibody that targets granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor alpha; and others. Chung-Siu concluded, “While many of the current COVID-19 clinical trials show promising early results, conclusions can only be drawn once the final data are reported. With 597 planned clinical trials, there will be more data to draw insights in the coming months and possibly a key drug candidate treatment for COVID-19 will emerge.”

Ansun Biopharma closed on a Series A financing round worth $85 million. The company plans to use the funds raised for a Phase III clinical trial of its experimental anti-viral drug, DAS181. Ansun Biopharma , based in San Diego, closed on a Series A financing round worth $85 million. The round was led by Sinopharm Healthcare Fund and Lilly Asia Ventures. New investors included Lyfe Capital, Yuanming Capital, Matrix Partners China, 3e Bioventures Capital, Oceanpine Capital, VI Ventures, and Joincap Investment. The company plans to use the funds raised for a Phase III clinical trial of its experimental anti-viral drug, DAS181. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the drug Breakthrough Therapy Designations in October 2017, for the treatment of lower respiratory tract parainfluenza virus (PIV) infection in patients who are immunocompromised. It also received Fast Track designation. DAS181 takes a unique host-directed approach to blocking respiratory viruses. It cleaves sialic acid receptors in the human respiratory tract, which are linked by most of the major respiratory viruses during infection. It has shown antiviral activity in three of the four major respiratory viruses, influenza virus (IFV), parainfluenza virus (PIV) and metapneumovirus (MPV), as well as human enterovirus-68 (EV-68). The way it acts makes it more difficult for viruses to depend on sialic acid receptor. Late last year it completed a Phase II trial of DAS181 for PIV infection in hospitalized, immunocompromised patients. The company has also worked with the FDA to make the compound available for treatment of more than 130 pediatric and adult patients through its compassionate use program. “We are excited about this designation and a look forward to continuing to work closely with the Division of Antiviral products at the FDA as we plan and implement a Phase III study for this severely ill patient population,” said George Wang, Ansun’s chief technical officer, in an October 2017 statement. In addition to the financing, Xiaoming Yang from Sinopharm Capital and Yi Shi from Lilly Asia Ventures are joining Ansun’s board of directors. Donald Payne and Michael Chao are also joining the board. Existing board members are Allen Chao, Nancy Chang and Michael Chang. “We are delighted to secure this strong financial support from some of the most highly regarded biotechnology investment groups in the world,” said Nancy Chang, Ansun’s interim chief executive officer, in a statement. “And just as important, if not more important, than their financial support is the depth of knowledge and experience our board will gain with our new board members.” About 55,000 to 200,000 patients in hospital in the U.S. are diagnosed with PIV annually. They are often in immunocompromised patients including those undergoing chemotherapy, solid organ transplants and hematopoietic stem cell transplants. If DAS181 makes it through Phase III trials and is approved, it could become the first product specifically approved for this medical need. The company has two programs. One is for influenza, the other is for the PIV infections. “We are very pleased to be leading this round in Ansun against a backdrop of increasing threat worldwide from very dangerous respiratory infectious diseases like influenza and parainfluenza,” Xiaoming Yang said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with the company, its board of directors and its management to rapidly progress the development of DAS181 so that it can benefit as many people as quickly as possible.”