Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc., a player in the discovery and development of drugs derived from cannabinoids, announced today that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Cellvera Global Holdings for the development of ARDS-003 as a partnered product. The medicine will contain 400 mg of Qifenda (Favipiravir).
Cellvera is dedicated to finding, creating, and commercialising oral treatments and monitoring devices to meet the unmet medical needs of people with fatal viral infections.
ARDS-003 is going to be the first drug product that will be consumed by humans, it contains the popular medicine ingredient Onternabez.
Preclinical trials were conducted, in which it was found that it reduces the hyperinflammatory response and attenuates the course of the disease. When compared to placebo, ARDS-003 monotherapy demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in morbidity and mortality signs, including respiratory distress after Covid-19.
In reducing the number of proinflammatory mediators linked to immune system dysfunction and hyperinflammation after viral infection, it is asserted to have outperformed an antiviral drug.
Qifenda is a broad-spectrum antiviral medication currently at its commercial stage. Favipiravir was first created by FujiFilm Toyama Chemical Co and was approved in Japan (2014) to treat pandemic influenza. Cellvera currently holds the rights to this brand and has a long and documented history of safety and efficacy. Favipiravir is a selective viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) inhibitor that inhibits single-stranded RNA viruses like coronaviruses. It interferes with the coronavirus’s ability to multiply by specifically targeting the necessary protein.
The broad-spectrum antiviral medication works well against 12 different virus families, including the NOROVIRUS, flaviviruses (ZIKA, WEST NILE, DENGUE), RABIES, filoviruses (EBOLA, MARBURG), coronaviruses (COVID), and many more. Preliminary research on the SARS-COV-2 Variants, Delta and Omicron, has demonstrated that Favipiravir maintains its antiviral activity despite prolonged exposure of virus-infected cells to the medication, demonstrating viruses’ inability to resist Favipiravir even as novel strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to emerge.
Guy Chamberland, CEO, and CRO of Tetra Bio-Pharma said: “We look forward to this partnership with Cellvera to bring this product forward to increase the treatment options globally in order to get through this pandemic. This partnership with an extensive global presence is an indication of the ARDS-003 drug asset. Multiple therapy models are essential due to the continuous complexity of COVID-19. We intend to provide patients with this additional therapy option through our anticipated long-term collaboration with Tetra.”
