- An active ingredient in WPD Pharmaceuticals’ (CSE:WBIO) drug candidate, WP1122, has reduced replication of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19
- Independent research on the drug found that its component, 2-deoxy-D-glucose, reduced replication by 100 per cent in in-vitro testing
- WPD will collaborate with its development partner, CNS Pharmaceuticals, to develop several preclinical drug candidates, including WP1122
- The companies will test the drug candidates on a range of viruses, including the coronavirus
- WPD’s share price was trading for $0.99 per share at yesterday’s market close
An active ingredient in WPD Pharmaceuticals’ (CSE:WBIO) drug candidate, WP1122, has reduced replication of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
Independent research found that a component, the molecule 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), reduced replication by 100 per cent in in-vitro testing.
On March 11, 2020, researchers at the University of Frankfurt disclosed the findings of their research in an article. Their findings showed that inhibiting glycolysis with non-toxic 2-DG amounts completely prevented SARS-CoV-2 replication in Caco-2 cells.
According to WPD’s license partner, Moleculin, 2-DG is the active subpart of their drug candidate, WP1122.
The issue with 2-DG is that the body often metabolises it too quickly, preventing it from reaching therapeutic concentrations. However, as a “prodrug” of 2-DG, WP1122 can achieve much higher concentrations before metabolising back into 2-DG within the cell.
WPD’s CEO, Mariusz Olejniczak, expressed the company’s excitement with this breakthrough on the WP1122 drug candidate.
“The early implications are that it could have positive effects on reducing the spread of COVID-19. I would like to commend our license partner, Moleculin, and the researchers at the University of Frankfurt. Their expedited work and the authors’ willingness to pre-release this data will help support our development of WP1122 for treating COVID-19,” he said.
Motivated by this news, WPD will collaborate with its development partner, CNS Pharmaceuticals, to develop several preclinical drug candidates. This will include WP1122. The companies will test the various drug candidates on a range of viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Moleculin’s Chairman and CEO, Walter Kemp, said that the discovery has put the company’s development efforts into turbo-drive.
“We are moving as quickly as we can to prepare WP1122 for clinical trials. With the US and EU having accelerated approval procedures for COVID-19 related projects, we expect this to move very quickly. We look forward to WPD’s help, especially as it relates to expediting things in Europe,” he said.
WPD Pharamceuticals (WBIO) share price was trading for $0.99 per share at yesterday’s market close.
