CollPlant Announces Antiviral Agent Program for Potential Treatment of COVID-19 Patients

CollPlant announced its development program of an antiviral agent for potential treatment of COVID-19 patients. In-vitro early results of CollPlant's formulations showed significant inhibition of avian coronavirus infectivity. CollPlant's formulations designed for the potential treatment of COVID-19 patients are based on CollPlant's proprietary recombinant human type I collagen (rhCollagen) imbedded with silver nanoparticles (AgNP).

The anti-viral treatment concept was evaluated in-vitro using an avian coronavirus, a model of the human coronavirus SARS-COV-2, grown on epithelial cells. The potential efficacy was assessed by the ability of the formulations to protect the epithelial cells from lethal doses of the virus. The results show significant reduction in infectivity of the model virus by treatment with the rhCollagen-AgNP complexes. Further studies are ongoing to optimize the formulations and doses. CollPlant intends to develop an anti-viral inhalation formulation to limit the spread of coronavirus in the upper and lower respiratory systems.

"We are very pleased with the initial results from our COVID-19 program which demonstrate a significant reduction in coronavirus infectivity with CollPlant's antiviral rhCollagen-AgNP complex. While still in an early stage of development, by targeting the viral load CollPlant's formulations have the potential to assist the body's immune system to combat the viral infection, reduce transmission rates between people, reduce the percentage of patients who need to be treated in critical care settings, and shorten hospitalization time," said Yehiel Tal, Chief Executive Officer of CollPlant. "Early treatment of the disease can prevent COVID-19 patients from developing more severe symptoms. With the pandemic inflicting a high human and financial toll, an available treatment can benefit millions worldwide and allow rapid recovery of social and economic activity while reducing the probability for new waves of infection."