Promising treatment against COVID-19 and its variants: Quebec biotech, Immune Biosolutions begins Phase I clinical trial stages for its inhaled immunotherapy treatment

SHERBROOKE, QC, Oct. 19, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Immune Biosolutions is pleased to announce the start of Phase I clinical trial for its immunotherapy (IBIO123) treatment, whose antibodies have the potential to neutralize and eliminate COVID-19 and its variants. The treatment has the ability of being administered by inhalation and acts in a highly targeted manner through the lungs to fight the infection at its source.

This treatments aims to be complementary to vaccination and could be added to the tools used by health professionals, particularly to fight the virus of patients infected with COVID-19 and those at high risk of complications.

A unique technology to fight the virus
The inhalation treatment developed by Immune Biosolutions allows antibodies to pass through the respiratory tract and directly access the lungs to act as a viral extinguisher. The simplicity of the inhalation delivery method adds to the attributes of this innovation.

To develop this treatment, the Sherbrooke-based biotechnology company identified antibodies from two human patients infected with COVID-19. The two patients ultimately recovered from the virus.

Clinical trial phase I
The Phase I clinical trial, which is being conducted in South Africa, is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-site study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of IBIO123 in symptomatic COVID-19 patients. Recruitment of volunteers is ongoing.

The primary objective is to define the effects of IBIO123 in terms of its safety and tolerability compared to a placebo. The secondary objectives are to determine the effects of IBIO123 on the viral load and clearance of SARS-CoV-2 virus as well as on the general clinical status of participants and on symptom improvement, again compared to the placebo.

This discovery is the result of a close collaboration between several private and public Canadian organizations which stemmed from over more than a year. In the spring of 2021, Immune Biosolutions was awarded $13.4 million in funding from the Government of Canada's Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to develop and validate its promising immunotherapy treatment. 

Quotes
"This clinical study marks an important milestone for Immune Biosolutions who's proud to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the global fight against the pandemic, which is having serious consequences on patients and on our healthcare systems," said Frédéric Leduc, Chief Executive Officer of Immune Biosolutions.

"We believe that IBIO123 is a potentially ideal candidate to treat symptomatic patients in the acute phase and possibly prevent long-term complications from the infection. We are excited to eventually allow the population as a whole to benefit from it," added Luc Paquet, Chief Corporate Development Officer of Immune Biosolutions.

"This clinical trial is an important step toward potentially providing promising new treatments for patients with mild to severe COVID-19 symptoms. IBIO123 would provide broad coverage of the current variants of concern through multiple synergistic modes of action and simple inhalation administration," explained Dr. Bruno Maranda, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Immune Biosolutions.

About Immune Biosolutions Inc.
At Immune Biosolutions, we strongly believe that biologics can transform and save lives. Leveraging our technology platforms, we hack the immune system of chickens to discover and engineer the next generation of immunotherapies. Immune Biosolutions is developing a robust pipeline of innovative combinatory biologics in several therapeutic areas, such as infectious diseases and oncology. 

SOURCE Immune Biosolutions

Josiane Bélanger-Riendeau, TACT, [phone] | [email protected]