In the first part of a two-part interview, Paz Vellanki of Precision for Medicine explains what sponsors should bring to early FDA meetings and how manufacturing and assay readiness can delay rare disease trials.
|Articles|January 22, 2021
Grifols Initiates Trial for New COVID-19 Drug
Author(s)BioPharm International Editors
The drug offers immediate post-exposure protection against the virus and will serve as a counterpart to the vaccine during its early phases.
Advertisement
Grifols, a Spanish pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturer, announced on Jan. 18, 2021 that it has initiated a clinical trial in Spain to evaluate a new COVID-19 drug based on its immunoglobulin, Gamunex-C, and antibodies from plasma donors who have recovered from the disease.
According to a company press release, the drug offers immediate post-exposure protection against the virus and will serve as a counterpart to the vaccine during its early phases. Additionally, the new drug has the potential to contain COVID-19 outbreaks in areas where vaccination measures haven’t started or are still underway.
“[The drug] is easy to refrigerate while its subcutaneous administration facilitates its distribution and use in any doctor’s office, avoiding hospitalization,” said Dr. Antonio Páez, medical director at Grifols, in the press release. “If the new therapy’s efficacy is confirmed, it could be administered to people who test positive for the virus through PCR and antigen tests in hospitals and primary care offices.”
Source:
Advertisement
Related to this article
FDA clears the IND for Biolojic Design’s BD200, an AI-designed Trop2/Nectin-4 multibody ADC; Blackstone Life Sciences agrees to provide Pfizer up to $1.5 billion to develop its monthly GLP-1 receptor agonist berobenatide; and enGene Therapeutics plans a year-end BLA for detalimogene voraplasmid in BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
FDA has cleared Biolojic Design’s IND for BD200, a bispecific antibody-drug conjugate targeting Trop2 and Nectin-4 whose arms can each bind either target. A global Phase 1 study in solid tumors is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Blackstone Life Sciences will fund up to $1.5 billion of development costs through 2028 for Pfizer’s monthly GLP-1 receptor agonist berobenatide, in exchange for milestone payments tied to approval and sales. Pfizer keeps full control of the program.
Beam Therapeutics’ base-edited cell therapy risto-cel meets its primary endpoint in the BEACON sickle cell disease trial, Amgen’s CD40L antagonist dazodalibep reduces systemic disease activity in the phase 3 OASIZ-301 Sjögren’s disease trial, and ImvivaBio’s allogeneic CD19/BCMA CAR-T CTA313 sustains lupus remission through 12 months.
ImvivaBio’s off-the-shelf CD19/BCMA CAR-T cell therapy CTA313 kept 88% of evaluable patients with refractory lupus in DORIS remission at Month 12, according to longer-term phase 1 data presented at ACR Convergence 2026.
Full phase 3 OASIZ-301 results show both dosing regimens of Amgen’s CD40L antagonist fusion protein dazodalibep reduced systemic disease activity in Sjögren’s disease at Week 48. The every-four-weeks dose also improved patient-reported dryness.
FDA grants RMAT and Fast Track designations to AbelZeta’s CD20/CD19 bispecific CAR-T prizlon-cel in relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, Larimar Therapeutics completes a BLA seeking accelerated approval of nomlabofusp for Friedreich’s ataxia, and Merck’s GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist efinopegdutide meets its primary endpoint in a phase 2b MASH trial.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Trending on BioPharm International
1
ImvivaBio’s Dual-Target Allogeneic CAR-T Sustains Lupus Remission Through 12 Months
2
Updates on Simtra BioPharma Solutions’ Bloomington Capacity Expansions
3
Amgen’s Dazodalibep Reduces Systemic Disease Activity in Phase 3 Sjögren’s Trial
4
Blackstone to Provide Pfizer Up to $1.5 Billion for Monthly GLP-1 Berobenatide Development
5