Sorrento Announces COVISHIELD (STI-9199) Antibody Nasal Drops Prevent Productive SARS-CoV-2 Infections When Given 24 Hours Prior to Virus Exposure
March 2, 2022 at 11:37 AM EST
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STI-9199 neutralizing antibody (nAb) nasal drops prevent productive infections when given to animals 24 hours before they are exposed to COVID.
This intranasal STI-9199 may potentially give the option to take a dose of STI-9199 to prevent spread of infection within a home and to allow travel or attendance at a social event with added protection from infection.
SAN DIEGO, March 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRNE, "Sorrento") today announced that new preclinical results demonstrate that pretreating an animal with intranasal neutralizing antibody (STI-9199) twenty-four (24) hours prior to being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus prevents productive infection in the treated animals. These data suggest that an individual who is at high risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus could potentially be protected by taking STI-9199 nasal neutralizing antibody. For example, if a member of a household becomes infected, the others in the house could be treated with intranasal STI-9199 to potentially prevent them from being infected. This prevention could work in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals but needs to be confirmed in clinical studies. Other potential use cases for this intranasal STI-9199 include pretreatment of front-line healthcare workers, individuals in long-term care facilities or students in schools, where treatment could potentially provide blanket coverage. In addition, travelers on a plane could be pre-treated, which would potentially allow for air and ocean cruise travel with added protection when mask-wearing is not required.
These options will be fully evaluated in clinical studies starting with household prevention and healthcare workers, and the results from these studies will be informative for other blanket protection opportunities.
Sorrento previously announced that this antibody (STI-9167) has a broad neutralizing activity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and all of its major variants of concern, including the Omicron strain BA.1, Omicron BA.1+R346K and Omicron BA.2.
The IND for the intranasal STI-9199 (COVISHIELD) product was cleared by the FDA today to proceed.
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