Annexin Pharmaceuticals in collaboration for COVID-19 study
Physicians in the Netherlands plan to start a COVID-19 study with Annexin Pharmaceuticals drug candidate ANXV and have to this end submitted an application to the local authority. Annexin Pharmaceuticals will provide ANXV and has secured funding to take part in the study.
A medical research team at the Maastricht University Hospital, The Netherlands has proposed an investigator initiated clinical trial to evaluate the safety and potential effects of ANXV treatment in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. Previously published findings in COVID-19 patients show that ANXV could dampen several negative processes in COVID-19, such as blood clot formation and the severe inflammation in the lungs.
Annexin Pharmaceuticals has decided to provide its drug candidate ANXV, expertise and documentation on it, as well as to finance parts of the study, including ANXV-specific analyses. The company believes that positive results may point to opportunities to treat not only COVID-19 patients but also other similar medical conditions. The Maastricht University Hospital and the Dutch authorities are expected to announce decisions within one month.
A go-ahead to start the study in the second quarter 2021 requires the agency to approve that ANXV be given to patients before the ongoing phase-1 study with the drug candidate has been completed. The availability of patients then affects the ability to carry out the study.
A small number of the company's major shareholders have pledged to lend up to SEK 4.0 million to the company for the study. The loan carries 10 per cent interest and the amount including interest can be converted into shares on market terms at the lender's initiative at the nearest major financing. The funding is expected to cover all direct costs Annexin Pharmaceuticals has for the study.
"Several specialists believe that ANXV has a real potential to improve the course of the disease in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. A similar initiative with Annexin A5 treatment in COVID-19 is underway in Ontario, Canada. The Maastricht study has a different approach which we consider to be important to contribute to. The fact that experienced doctors and researchers at an established university hospital think the study is justified is of course also crucial to our decision", says Annexin Pharmaceuticals CEO Anders Haegerstrand.
Annexin Pharmaceuticals drug candidate ANXV is a human recombinant Annexin A5. Annexin A5 is a protein that occurs naturally in the body and has been shown to protect and repair cells as well as counteract unwanted inflammation.
For further information, please contact:
Anders Haegerstrand, CEO, tel +46 70 575 50 37
This information is such information that Annexin Pharmaceuticals AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication by the person set out above, at 11.00 CET on 18 May 2021.
About Annexin Pharmaceuticals AB (publ)
Annexin Pharmaceuticals AB (publ) is a world-leading biotechnology company in the Annexin A5 field, for treatment of various cardiovascular diseases, which are currently the most common cause of death. The Company’s biological drug candidate ANXV - a human recombinant protein, Annexin A5 – is intended primarily for the acute treatment of patients with vascular damages and inflammation. The Company also has a comprehensive patent portfolio for the treatment of diseases caused by vascular damage and inflammation. Annexin Pharmaceuticals has established and optimized a cell line for large-scale production of Annexin A5. The Company is based i Stockholm and is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market, short name ANNX. Redeye is the Company’s Certified Adviser. Tel. +46 (0) 8 121 576 90, email certifiedadviser@redeye.se.
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