MetrioPharm testing COVID-19 drug in humans

MP1032, the lead compound developed by the Zurich-based firm MetrioPharm, could in future be used to treat coronavirus infections. The drug is being tested in this context in humans for the first time as part of a Phase II trial, further details of which can be found in a press release. The focus of the trial is on patients recently admitted to hospital displaying moderate to severe symptoms. The expectation is that MP1032 will be able to slow down the spread of the virus in the body in addition to alleviating COVID-19 symptoms.

Treatment programs with the drug are to be carried out in Romania, Hungary, Spain, France and Italy, with roughly 80 patients to receive doses of MP1032 as part of the trial in addition to standard of care. A control group of around 40 patients will receive a placebo plus standard of care. The first patient has already been treated.

MP1032 has already “demonstrated in several indications driven by chronic inflammatory processes that oxidative stress was stopped and inflammatory markers such as TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-12 and others were downregulated”, explains Thomas Christély, CEO of MetrioPharm, in the press release. In addition, Christély expects that the compound could prevent severe COVID-19 progressions, emphasizing in his press release comments that, as the first immune modulator, MP1032 “does not lead to a suppression of the immune system”.