Pathogenics Inc. is developing N-Chlorotaurine (NCT) as a medicine for the treatment of COVID-19 in mild to severe cases
HINGHAM, Mass. (PRWEB)
March 19, 2021
Pathogenics Inc. today announced the publication of data demonstrating N-Chlorotaurine (NCT), a novel anti-infective /anti-inflammatory medicine, kills the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza A virus. A preprint is available from Research Square online at http://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-118665/v1, while the publication undergoes peer review.
The study, led by Dr. Markus Nagl of the Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, shows that NCT clearly demonstrates in vitro antiviral/virucidal activity at concentrations well-tolerated in humans. Even in the presence of organic material simulating body fluids (human mucus), NCT was able to rapidly kill the viruses within 1 to 10 minutes, absent cytotoxicity of inactivated NCT to the inoculated cell culture.
NCT is just as effective at killing bacteria and fungi, including multi-resistant ones, which may cause deadly secondary and super infections. Unlike antibiotics and vaccines which are susceptible to drug resistant strains, NCT prevents development of drug resistance because of its non-specific oxidizing mechanism of action. The study’s authors concluded that the inhalation of 1% NCT deserves comprehensive clinical investigation as a prophylactic and therapeutic strategy against acute viral respiratory tract infections.
N-Chlorotaurine is a relatively mild oxidant which occurs naturally in the human body, and is pharmaceutically synthesized as a sodium salt to make a topical antiseptic medication. A therapeutic concentration of 1% NCT in aqueous solution delivers approximately 1000x the physiological concentration normally present in vivo. Yet the inhaled administration of 1% NCT is well tolerated and safe both in animals (mice and pigs) and in humans (clinical phase I study). This enables a high concentration of the medication to be delivered to the lung.
NCT has also previously demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity, which has the potential to prevent airway damage in severely ill COVID-19 patients by downregulating the aggressive ‘cytokine storm’ inflammatory response. NCT is known to be involved in the termination of acute inflammation, e.g., by directly decreasing the production of tissue-damaging mediators (pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) created by white blood cells when they encounter a pathogen and initiate the inflammatory response.
The study is a collaborative project between Dr. Markus Nagl and his colleagues from the Institute of Virology at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, together with colleagues at the Robert Koch-Institute (RKI) and Charité University Medical School, Berlin, Germany, and 360biolabs, Melbourne, Australia.
Pathogenics Inc. is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that is currently focused on the clinical development of N-Chlorotaurine as a novel anti-infective/anti-inflammatory medicine for the treatment of COVID-19 in mild to severe cases. Contact: Fred Zotos, CEO, Pathogenics Inc. fzotos@pathogenics.com. Visit: http://www.Pathogenics.com. ####
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