Aerogen has released details of a collaborative effort to support global pharmaceutical companies developing COVID-19 vaccines and therapies. To date, more than ten million patients globally have been treated safely and effectively with Aerogen’s drug delivery technology. As the global scientific community rallies against the pandemic, there has been interest in inhaled delivery of antiviral drugs, leading to Aerogen’s involvement in multiple COVID-19 drug development initiatives with leading pharmaceutical companies and prominent academic groups.
Aerogen’s closed-circuit nebuliser technology, which addresses key concerns around safety and improves patient outcomes, is being used in hospitals across the globe to deliver aerosolised medication to critically-ill ventilated COVID-19 patients.
Aerogen says it anticipated the critical role that development of new inhaled drugs would play in the COVID-19 response, and in March of this year formed a COVID response unit to support projects researching potential treatments and vaccines. This response unit is now working with pharmaceutical companies worldwide to ensure safe delivery of inhaled therapies. Several of these collaborations are already in clinical trials, with others on track to enter studies on moderately and severely ill COVID-19 patients over the weeks and months ahead.
In one collaboration, Aerogen has signed an agreement with Synairgen, a UK-based biotechnology company, to provide the Aerogen Solo/Ultra nebuliser system for delivery of SNG001 directly into the lungs of COVID-19 patients. SNG001 is an inhaled interferon beta that stimulates the innate immune system. Initial investigation of SNG001 as a potential COVID-19 treatment has been promising – hospitalised patients receiving SNG001 were at reduced risk of developing severe disease and more than twice as likely to recover to the ‘no limitation of activities’ level on the ordinal scale over the course of treatment.
“Aerogen is a highly regarded global company known for providing safe and effective aerosol drug delivery,” said Richard Marsden, CEO of Synairgen.
“Ensuring that SGN001 is paired with optimal delivery technology is a vital component of our work to bring this potential treatment to market at scale. Aerogen is our choice because of its proven reputation for drug delivery efficiency and reliability, suitability for use with a wide range of ventilatory support modalities, established high-volume manufacturing and prior regulatory approvals across the globe.”
“In the early days of the pandemic, hospitals were discouraged from using any type of aerosol for COVID-19 treatment – which is understandable given the nature of the virus,” said John Power, CEO and Founder of Aerogen. “Now, it’s clear to health systems worldwide that aerosol drug delivery can be done with improved safety but is an absolute necessity for managing this global crisis. COVID-19 has only reinforced the important role Aerogen plays in safely and effectively delivering treatments to patients across the world, and we’re proud to work with innovators like Synairgen as part of the research and development process for potential COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.”
Image credit: Ani Kolleshi
