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Innovation Pharmaceuticals Exploring Lead Defensin Mimetic Drug Candidate Brilacidin as Potential Novel Coronavirus Treatment
Innovation Pharmaceuticals Exploring Lead Defensin Mimetic Drug Candidate Brilacidin as Potential Novel Coronavirus Treatment.
About this update from Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n “Defensins are conceptually ideal for defense against different viral infections” WAKEFIELD, Mass., Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovation Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB:IPIX) (“the Company”), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, announced today the Company is exploring its lead defensin mimetic drug candidate, Brilacidin, as a potential novel coronavirus treatment. Over the last few weeks, the Company has received inquiries asking about Brilacidin’s potential to treat the Coronavirus given the urgent worldwide need to find effective treatments for this deadly epidemic. Coronavirus (now being referred to as “COVID-19”) continues to represent a significant life-threatening risk in China and throughout the world, with currently over 71,000 diagnosed cases across 29 countries, resulting in nearly 1,800 reported deaths. The containment of the COVID-19 outbreak is far from a certainty, as expressed by Prof Gabriel Leung, the Chair of Public Health Medicine at Hong Kong University, warning that the epidemic could spread to 60% of the world’s population if not controlled. We have long discussed the broad therapeutic spectrum for our defensin mimetic franchise and are pleased to inform shareholders that we are now engaged in talks with leading institutions and researchers regarding the opportunity to explore developing Brilacidin, our lead defensin mimetic drug candidate. Interactions center on assessing Brilacidin as a potential novel antiviral therapy for treating Coronaviruses, including COVID-19 and potentially Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Some of the brightest minds in the field of virology see the therapeutic potential of defensins and defensin mimetics in helping to address unexpected epidemics, as detailed by Mee Sook Park, et al in a 2018 review article, linked to below and in a blog post (http://www.ipharminc.com/new-blog/2020/2/18/shareholder-alert-defensins-are-conceptually-ideal-for-defense-against-different-viral-infections) on the Company’s website: Towards the Application of Human Defensins as Antiviralshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933891/  “Due to the relative nonspecificity of the targets of defensins compared to those of the adaptive arm, a...