Hyundai Bio "Oral COVID-19 Treatment CP-COV03 Confirmed to Concentrate Efficacy in Lungs"

Maintaining Drug Concentration in Lung Tissue at Least 1.7 Times Higher Than in Blood

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] For the first time, experimental results have shown that a niclosamide-based improved drug, considered a promising candidate for COVID-19 treatment, exerts concentrated efficacy in lung tissue in animal experiments.

Hyundai Bio, a specialist in drug delivery systems (DDS), recently disclosed on the 3rd that in an animal experiment commissioned to the non-clinical specialized institution Notus, it was confirmed that after administering CP-COV03 (active ingredient niclosamide), the drug concentration in lung tissue was maintained at least 1.7 times higher than in the blood.

In this experiment, after administering CP-COV03 at 10 mg/kg, drug concentration was measured over 24 hours, showing that the drug concentration in lung tissue remained at least 1.74 times higher than the blood concentration.

Hyundai Bio explained that this is the first experimental result proving that the blood-effective drug concentration (IC100) that suppresses 100% of the proliferation of COVID-19 variants such as Omicron in lung tissue can be maintained for 24 hours.

They added that since the COVID-19 virus mainly attacks lung tissue in the human body, CP-COV03 shows potential as an effective treatment for COVID-19 variants such as Omicron and Delta.

In a recent experiment conducted by the National Institute of Health, it was confirmed that CP-COV03 maintains an IC50 concentration against Omicron at only one-quarter of the blood drug concentration for COVID-19, indicating that for Omicron, the same amount of CP-COV03 can shorten the treatment period compared to existing COVID-19. Accordingly, Hyundai Bio plans to verify in Phase 2 clinical trials, currently considering a 5-day course, whether a 3-day course is sufficient for complete recovery.

A Hyundai Bio official stated, "Since COVID-19 and its variants mainly attack lung tissue among various organs in the human body, a treatment that exerts concentrated efficacy in the lungs is essential. This experimental result shows that CP-COV03 can be an antiviral agent that effectively combats COVID-19 regardless of variants."

Hyundai Bio has completed Phase 1 clinical trials of CP-COV03, developed as a host-targeting antiviral that targets virus-hosting cells, and submitted a Phase 2 clinical trial plan to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 21st of last month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.