Shares in respiratory drug development company Synairgen (SNG:AIM) rallied 13% to 166.4p after a US study recommended its inhalation treatment for severe viral lung infections should advance to final stage trials.
Although Synairgen hasn’t received any data from the US-based ACTIV-2 outpatient study of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients, the company was informed that the external data safety monitoring board recommended its SNG001 formulation advance to Phase 3 trails.
Numis healthcare analyst Paul Cuddon said: ‘we would assume a clinical benefit has been observed that warrants continuation into larger pivotal studies.
‘The scientific logic for boosting the body's innate antiviral response in the upper and lower airways remains robust and scientific studies remain highly supportive of this treatment approach.’
Chief executive Richard Marsden said: ‘In addition to the ACTIV-2 trial, our own Phase III SPRINTER study assessing SNG001 in hospitalised COVID-19 patients, is also progressing well and we expect top-line results in early 2022.’
POLITICAL CLOUT
The US trial is sponsored by NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and infectious disease) and run by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group which carries significant political and clinical weight, according to Cuddon.
This will further raise the profile of SNG001 ahead of the key phase three trials, an important aspect in terms of recruiting patients.
The debate around vaccine longevity and lack of enthusiasm for booster programmes demonstrate the need for alternative treatments to combat current and future variants of Covid-19.
Cuddon believes Synairgen’s SNG001 is ‘the most promising treatment option for COVID-19 that addresses the key deficiencies of the current vaccination and treatment strategies'.
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