Business
Enanta Pharmaceuticals Presents New Preclinical Data for EDP-235, its Oral, Direct-Acting Antiviral Protease Inhibitor Specifically Designed for the Treatment of COVID-19 at IDWeek™ 2022
WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to creating small molecule
About this update from Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":" WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nEnanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to creating small molecule drugs for viral infections and liver diseases, today announced new preclinical data supporting the potential of EDP-235 for the treatment of COVID-19, which are being presented at IDWeek 2022 in Washington, DC.\n\nNew data presented continue to highlight EDP-235’s excellent penetration into SARS-CoV-2 target tissues and cells including macrophages and monocytes, suggesting it can possibly mitigate the macrophage-mediated cytokine storm that can occur in high-risk COVID-19 patients. Enanta is on schedule to begin a Phase 2 study of EDP-235 this quarter.\n\n“We are encouraged by the growing body of data suggesting that EDP-235 is a differentiated, once-daily, oral antiviral for COVID-19. In particular, these data presented show that EDP-235 has the ability to penetrate into critical immune cells and eliminate viral replication.” said Jay R. Luly, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Enanta Pharmaceuticals. “Taken together with data from our Phase 1 study that demonstrated favorable safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics with strong exposure multiples over the EC90, EDP-235 is well positioned to potentially be a best-in-class direct acting antiviral for COVID-19. We look forward to continuing the clinical development of EDP-235.”\n\nOctober 21, 2022, Oral Presentation from 12:15 – 12:45 PM ET, Poster# 1123 Presentation from 12:15 – 1:30 PM ET\n\n“EDP-235, A Potent and Once-Daily Oral Antiviral, Demonstrates Excellent Penetration into Macrophages and Monocytes, with the Potential for Mitigation of Cytokine Storm in High-Risk COVID-19 Patients” Lisha Xu, United States\n\nIntracellular uptake of EDP-235 compared to nirmatrelvir was evaluated in rat lung alveolar macrophages (AM), human monocytes and human macrophages. To determine the in vivo drug distribution into lung AM, rats were dosed orally with 25 mg/kg of EDP-235 or nirmatrelvir and plasma and AM drug levels were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The ratios of intracellular to extracellular concentrations of EDP-235 in rat lung AM, human monocytes and human macrophages were 23.6, 22.7 and 30.5, respectively, compared to ratios of 0.6, 1.5 and 1.2 for nirmatrelvir in these cells. C...