Ghent company ExeVir starts clinical trials with “lamamedici… (Ghent)

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Ghent company ExeVir has started clinical studies of its llama-derived antibody for the treatment and prevention of Covid-19. The company announced this on Wednesday.

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The company announces the dosing of the first subjects in the phase 1 clinical trial of the antibody XVR-011. This study will assess the safety profile and pharmacokinetics (the processes to which an active substance is subjected in the body, ed.) of XVR-011, administered as an intravenous infusion in healthy subjects. The study will test three consecutive escalating doses of the antibody, with up to three groups of 10 healthy adult subjects.

Dominique Tersago, Chief Medical Officer of ExeVir Bio, speaks of a “milestone” for the company. “Importantly, XVR011 has recently been shown to neutralize the delta variant, as well as all current Covid-19 variants of concern,” he says. “We are excited about the prospect of launching a single-dose treatment in hospitals for patients with Covid-19.”

Winter

The XVR-011 molecule was developed by scientists from VIB University Ghent under the supervision of Dr. Xavier Salens and Dr. Nico Callewaert. This antibody was isolated from the blood of llama Winter. The antibodies protect laboratory animals against infection by binding to the crown proteins, the ‘spines’ of the coronavirus.

Biopharmaceutical company UCB provided assistance for the design and optimization of the therapeutic properties of XVR-011 and produced the antibody on a large scale for the clinical trial. The development work is currently undergoing peer review and was recently published as a pre-print in BioRxiv, the pre-print server of the life sciences.

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