Pulmonem's COVID-19 candidate headed for Phase III trial

Medicines regulator Health Canada has approved the Phase III randomized clinical trial of an oral medication developed by Canadian biotech start-up Pulmonem as an early treatment to reduce or even prevent the development of severe pulmonary inflammation caused by COVID-19 infection.

The Phase III clinical trial is sponsored by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and will be conducted in seven centers in Canada and the USA as soon as possible.

The therapy developed by Pulmonem is unique in that it is a patented reformulation of dapsone, a safe and affordable generic anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulator and anti-bacterial drug that has been around for decades, used against malaria, lupus, HIV and other inflammatory infections. Because the new medication is a reformulation of an existing drug for a new indication, this therapy could be available on a much-accelerated timeline compared to others in development. It could be ready to be administered to Canadians before the end of 2020, the company claims.