A cocktail of antibodies developed by Quebec firm Immune Biosolutions has reportedly proved effective in alleviating the respiratory symptoms caused by COVID-19 during the acute phase of the virus.
The drug, called IBIO123, has completed the first two phases of clinical trials, and the results obtained by the Sherbrooke-based company are the subject of a scientific article published on Monday in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
For CEO of Immune Biosolutions Luc Paquet, the publication in a prestigious medical journal is valuable scientific recognition for his team.
In addition to proving effective in preventing the virus from causing damage to the lungs, the drug is also believed to be the first inhaled immunotherapy treatment against COVID-19.
IBIO123 is administered via a nebulizer.
"In other words, the patient breathes in a kind of vapour containing the drug for a few minutes. In this way, the antibodies are directed directly to the lungs, where they attack the source of the infection.No one in the world, until now, has tried to give antibodies by inhalation, either for COVID or for other respiratory diseases," said Dr. Bruno Maranda, head of medical affairs at Immune Biosolutions. "We thought it wasn't possible, but in fact, the antibodies may be compatible with this mode of administration."
Maranda is the co-lead author of the paper entitled "Safety and efficacy of inhaled IBIO123 for mild-to-moderate COVID-19: a randomized, double-blind, dose-ascending, placebo-controlled, phase 1/2 trial."
According to the results, the double-blind clinical trials involved 162 adult patients suffering from mild-to-moderate symptoms of COVID-19.
At illness day 8, a total of 41 per cent of those treated had resolution of their respiratory symptoms compared with 17 per cent of those given a placebo. Among high-risk patients, the success rate was 35 per cent with IBIO123 compared with 10 per cent with placebo.
The studies were conducted on patients infected with the Omicron variant, but the drug remains effective against all SARS CoV-2 variants and sub-variants known to date.
THREE FRONTS
The new drug is based on monoclonal antibodies harvested from patients who have fought COVID-19. Immune Biosolutions studied these antibodies and succeeded in replicating them. The company then created a cocktail of antibodies to attack the virus on three fronts.
The combination chosen by the scientific team at Immune Biosolutions is also unique in that it targets a part of the virus that has been virtually unaffected by the mutations and seems unlikely to be affected.
According to Maranda, the strategy was to target the S2 part of the virus spicule.
"It's as if we created a torsion in the spicule, and it is no longer able to perform its biological function of binding and entering (human) cells," said the geneticist.
PHASE 3
Following massive investments to combat the pandemic, Immune Biosolutions has received financial support of $4.5 million from the Quebec government and $13.44 million from the Government of Canada. Private investors have also injected nearly $5 million into the venture.
Looking ahead, the company said it is in negotiations with potential partners for a phase 3 study. The challenge is to find the resources needed for large-scale production to better assess all the effects and risks associated with the treatment on a larger pool of patients.
The Centre hospitalier universitaire de Montréal (CHUM) and CHU Sainte-Justine research centres have collaborated on this project.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 21, 2023.
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