Hyundai Bioscience’s investigational oral Covid-19 drug has been found highly effective in an animal lung tissue study, raising hope for a new treatment option against heavily mutated variants.

The company said on Thursday the concentration of CP-COV03 (niclosamide) in an animal’s lung tissue was maintained 1.74 times higher than blood concentration.

To fully prevent the proliferation of the coronavirus in lung tissue, drugs should sustain an effective concentration in the blood that inhibits virus activity by 100 percent (IC100) for more than 24 hours. The CP-COV03 has more than met the criteria, according to the company.

The result was confirmed from the 24-hour measurement of blood concentration of CP-COV03 10mg/kg after administration, which was conducted by local non-clinical testing agency Knotus, the company explained.

Since Covid-19 and its variants primarily attack lung tissue, there is a need for a therapeutic agent with strong antiviral activity in the lungs, said the company, adding the latest study result show that CP-COV03 can be an antiviral agent that can effectively block Covid-19 regardless of its mutation.

The company is conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the host-oriented antiviral after taking for five days, and it plans to investigate whether recovery is attainable with just three days of use.

Hyundai Bioscience applied for a Phase 2 clinical trial of CP-COV03 with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Jan. 21 after a Phase 1 clinical trial.

By Chung Seul-gi and Minu Kim

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