Synairgen
| AIM: SNG | |
| Industry | Drug discovery Biotechnology |
| Founded | 2003[1] |
| Founder | |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people |
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| Website | synairgen |
Synairgen is a University spin-off and public limited company (plc) [2][1][3] working in drug discovery and biotechnology. It was founded in 2003 by University of Southampton professors Stephen Holgate,[4] Donna E. Davies and Ratko Djukanovic. The company is developing an inhaled formulation of interferon-beta for severe viral respiratory diseases including COVID-19.[5][6][7][8][9]
Richard Marsden was appointed chief executive officer in September 2009.[10]
Business Activities
Synairgen has developed and is testing an inhaled formulation of interferon beta, a naturally occurring protein which orchestrates the body's antiviral responses. Viruses, including coronaviruses, have evolved mechanisms which suppress natural IFN-β production, thereby helping the virus evade the immune system.[11]
Richard Marsden, the company's chief executive, said one of the main ways viruses evaded the immune system was “to suppress the production of interferon beta”, which plays a significant role in activating the wider immune response and preventing a virus from replicating. “All we’re doing is putting . . . this protein, that everyone makes, back into the battleground, and the battleground that matters is in the lungs,” Marsden said.[12]
COVID-19 Drug Trials
In March 2020,[13] Synairgen initiated a placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial of SNG001, an inhaled form of interferon beta, in COVID-19 patients in the UK.
In July 2020, Synairgen announced SNG001 lowered the risk of severe COVID-19 in infected patients in a small clinical trial. The details of the study were published in Lancet in November 2020.[14]
The Phase 3 SPRINTER trial (SG018), a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating SNG001 for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, was initiated in January 2021.[15] It completed enrolment of 610 patients in November 2021[16] across 17 countries.
SNG001 is also being investigated independently as part of the US National Institute of Health's ACTIV-2 (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines) programme [17] to accelerate the development of the most promising COVID-19 treatments.
The ACTIV-2 study, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and led by the NIAID-funded AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), is testing agents in outpatient adults with documented positive SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptoms of COVID-19. Synairgen's SNG001 was advanced into Phase 3 in October 2021.[18]
References
- ^ a b Anon (2016). "SYNAIRGEN PLC". companieshouse.gov.uk. London: Companies House.
- ^ Anon (2020). "SYNAIRGEN PLC SNG Stock". londonstockexchange.com. London Stock Exchange.
- ^ Rowlatt, Justin (July 20, 2020). "Covid treatment trial described as 'breakthrough'". bbc.co.uk. BBC News.
- ^ "Clean Air Champion Professor Sir Stephen Holgate receives Knighthood". Clean Air Programme. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ "- Synairgen". synairgen.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ Neate, Rupert (July 24, 2020). "'Major' breakthrough in Covid-19 drug makes UK professors millionaires". The Guardian.
- ^ Anon (2020). "Expert reaction to announcement by Synairgen that their drug SNG001 has had positive results in initial trials on COVID-19 patients". Science Media Centre.
- ^ Donnelly, Laura (July 20, 2020). "Coronavirus drug hailed as game-changer after trial finds it cuts chances of severe illness". telegraph.co.uk. Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Holgate, Stephen; Agusti, Alvar; Strieter, Robert M.; Anderson, Gary P.; Fogel, Robert; Bel, Elisabeth; Martin, Thomas R.; Reiss, Theodore F. (2015). "Drug development for airway diseases: looking forward". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 14 (6): 367–368. doi:10.1038/nrd4645. ISSN 1474-1776. PMID 26000726. S2CID 8539798.
- ^ "SNG: Synairgen PLC Stock Price Quote - London - Bloomberg". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ Hadjadj, Jérôme; Yatim, Nader; Barnabei, Laura; Corneau, Aurélien; Boussier, Jeremy; Smith, Nikaïa; Péré, Hélène; Charbit, Bruno; Bondet, Vincent; Chenevier-Gobeaux, Camille; Breillat, Paul (2020-08-07). "Impaired type I interferon activity and inflammatory responses in severe COVID-19 patients". Science. 369 (6504): 718–724. Bibcode:2020Sci...369..718H. doi:10.1126/science.abc6027. PMC 7402632. PMID 32661059.
- ^ Neville, Sarah; Asgari, Nikou (2021-09-27). "Antiviral pill: How close are we to a drug to treat Covid?". ft.com. Financial Times. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ "Experimental lung drug to be tested on UK coronavirus patients". The Guardian. 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ Monk, Phillip D.; Marsden, Richard J.; Tear, Victoria J.; Brookes, Jody; Batten, Toby N.; Mankowski, Marcin; Gabbay, Felicity J.; Davies, Donna E.; Holgate, Stephen T.; Ho, Ling-Pei; Clark, Tristan (2021). "Safety and efficacy of inhaled nebulised interferon beta-1a (SNG001) for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial". The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 9 (2): 196–206. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30511-7. ISSN 2213-2600. PMC 7836724. PMID 33189161.
- ^ Synairgen Research Ltd. (2021-11-03). "A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Phase III Trial to Determine the Efficacy and Safety of Inhaled SNG001 for the Treatment of Patients Hospitalised Due to Moderate COVID-19". clinicaltrials.gov.
- ^ "Synairgen concludes patient enrolment for Covid-19 trial". clinicaltrialsarena.com. 2021-11-12. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ "COVID-19 Therapeutics Prioritized for Testing in Clinical Trials". nih.gov. National Institutes of Health. 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ "Synairgen surges as US Covid-19 study advances to final stage trials | Shares Magazine". sharesmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-03.