By Chris Wack BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. said Monday it saw positive results in a preclinical proof-of-concept study of its inhaled NanoAb Covid-19 drug. Using an industry-standard animal model, the study compared weight loss in two groups of hamsters.
Hamsters who were administered a mid-sized 0.66mg dose of the NanoAb three hours prior to infection experienced no significant weight loss over the six-day trial, whereas the untreated control group’s weight declined 12% on average, a highly statistically significant difference. The study’s design was intended to mimic a real-world situation in which at-risk groups may proactively protect themselves ahead of potential exposure to Covid-19 using BiondVax’s self-administered inhaled NanoAb therapy. Lung histopathology revealed that therapeutic inhalation of NanoAbs reduced damage to alveoli, pulmonary vessels and the conductive system. The preclinical trial is continuing with additional arms testing lower therapeutic doses, and also will evaluate safety parameters. In 2023, BiondVax is expected to conduct a preclinical toxicity study to assess safety as required by regulatory authorities for approval of human clinical trials. The company also is expecting to scale up its manufacturing processes to produce, at its manufacturing site in Jerusalem, the NanoAbs for the first-in-human Phase 1/2a clinical trial, which …