Here's how I read today's PR...there are three updates I see as part of this:
1) The headline refers to the BS Level-3 Facility:
"Innovation Pharmaceuticals’ Brilacidin Reduces Viral Titer of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) by 75 percent After Only 1 Hour of Preincubation in In Vitro Study at BSL-3 Facility."
This means that the BSL Facility is still testing as a vaccine, further shown by the statement "Additional time-dependent and concentration-dependent experiments are underway to further delineate Brilacidin’s virucidal properties against SARS-CoV-2."
2) The RBL (different than the BSL-3) is still testing multiple avenues, including a vaccine:
"Brilacidin anti-SARS-CoV-2 research is part of ongoing antiviral studies that are being conducted at a U.S. Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL). An earlier 16-hour post-infection experiment, in VERO cells, showed Brilacidin exhibited a dose-dependent reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infectious viral titers."
"The Company is encouraged by Brilacidin’s considerable antiviral potential and believes that its use as a possible potent prophylactic and therapeutic antiviral agent for SARS-CoV-2, and other viruses, is warranted."
3) There's a third entity (Public Institute of Health? The "University"? Some other entity?) with which the company engaged that have decided the best approach is as a therapeutic, possibly because the other two labs are already/still doing vaccine testing.
"Separately, the Company and laboratory researchers (from a different testing facility) agreed that Brilacidin as a vaccine would not be studied further at this time."
That paragraph goes on to say that the company is prioritizing B's development as a treatment (therapeutic) and "is taking steps to rapidly advance B into human trials". No partner entity is provided for this step, it appears IPIX is still pursuing and reviewing the best way to achieve this.
I read this PR as updates on these three different avenues with a couple others potential entities (PIH, University) still awaiting an update. This is very positive imo as it shows B is still in play both as a vaccine (solo or as an adjuvant) AND as a therapeutic.
