20th Apr 2020 10:30
(Alliance News) - 4D Pharma PLC on Monday said it has secured expedited approval from the UK Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for the Phase 2 study of its Covid-19 treatment.
Shares in 4D Pharma jumped 59% on the new to 61.90 pence each on Monday morning in London, hitting 69.0p earlier.
The pharmaceutical firm said the treatment MRx-4DP0004 is a live biotherapeutic taken orally and is currently in a clinical trial for the treatment of patients with partly controlled asthma, adding that a preeclinical study for the treatment of severe asthma showed that MRx-4DP0004 "significantly" reduced airway inflammation.
4D Pharma's live biotherapeutic products are orally-delivered single strains of bacteria that are naturally found in the healthy human gut.
The company said the Phase 2 study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of MRx-4DP0004 - administered for 14 days - in addition to standard-of-care in up to 90 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 symptoms.
"As well as its appropriate mechanism of action, the highly favourable safety profile of MRx-4DP0004 makes it a particularly attractive candidate for Covid-19 patients, and may potentially allow us to prevent or delay their progression to requiring ventilation and intensive care," said Dinesh Saralaya, the study's lead investigator and associate director of Research at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
By Ife Taiwo; [email protected]
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