Israeli clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company announced Wednesday that its lead drug candidate, the CXCR4-inhibitor Motixafortide, will be evaluated in an investigator-initiated clinical trial in patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to COVID-19 and other respiratory viral infections.
The open-label, single-arm, Phase 1b study will be conducted at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon under lead researcher Dr. Yasmin Maor.
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"Severe COVID-19 cases, where patients are hospitalized with ARDS and require ventilation, have generated renewed interest in the underlying pathology of acute respiratory stress disorder," noted Maor.
"Based on the scientific data indicating the importance of blocking the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis during ARDS, Motixafortide could be of potential benefit for such patients. COVID-19 case counts are again surging in many parts of the world and addressing ARDS has become a top global health priority," Maor added.
