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Rigel Announces NIH/NHLBI-Sponsored Trial of Fostamatinib in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Collaboration with Inova
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced the start of a multicenter, Phase 2
About this update from Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced the start of a multicenter, Phase 2 trial to evaluate the safety of fostamatinib, its oral spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitor, for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The study is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with Inova® Health System. Fostamatinib, marketed in the U.S. as TAVALISSE® (fostamatinib disodium hexahydrate) tablets, is approved in the U.S. and Europe as a treatment for adult chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).\n\"With the ongoing pandemic continuing to cause tens of thousands of new daily cases of COVID-19 across the U.S., there is a critical need to not only stop the spread of the virus, but to also develop new and effective therapies to treat the infected population, including those with severe and life-threatening disease,\" said Richard Childs, M.D., clinical director of the NHLBI. \"As we work with the broader community to identify safe and effective therapeutic options for COVID-19 patients, we are hopeful that the investigation of fostamatinib will potentially aid in the fight against this pandemic.\"\nThe clinical trial is being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the nation's largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research, and Inova Fairfax Hospital. \n\"Working with Dr. Childs and his team at the NIH provides an excellent platform to further explore the potential of fostamatinib to treat and prevent conditions caused by an overactive immune system in COVID-19 patients,\" said Raul Rodriguez, Rigel's president and CEO. \"COVID-19 infection can lead to dangerous and potentially life-threatening immune responses that can attack not only the lungs, but potentially other organs. Based on our understanding of SYK's role in the pathogenesis of the virus and fostamatinib's mechanism of action, we believe expanding our clinical effort into this second trial in COVID-19 related lung injuries is critical.\"\nCOVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 primarily infects the upper and lower respiratory tract and can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Additiona...