Candidate: Dociparstat sodium (DSTAT)
Type: Glycosaminoglycan derivative of heparin with anti-inflammatory properties
Status: Chimerix on April 29 said it initiated a Phase II/III study of dociparstat sodium (DSTAT) in COVID-19 patients with acute lung injury (ALI). The study is a 1:1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to determine the safety and efficacy of DSTAT in adults with severe COVID-19 who are at high risk of respiratory failure. Eligible subjects will be those with confirmed COVID-19 who require hospitalization and supplemental oxygen therapy. The primary endpoint of the study is the proportion of subjects who survive and do not require mechanical ventilation through day 28.
The study’s Phase II portion will enroll 24 subjects to confirm the maximum safe dose, then expand by an additional 50 patients (74 total) at the selected dose. Contingent upon positive results, the Phase III portion of the study will enroll approximately 450 subjects, Chimerix said.
According to Chimerix, DSTAT is a glycosaminoglycan derivative of heparin with robust anti-inflammatory properties that include the potential to address underlying causes of coagulation disorders with substantially reduced risk of bleeding complications compared to commercially available forms of heparin. The company says DSTAT holds potential to decrease inflammation/immune cell infiltration in COVID-19 patients with ALI, and alleviate the underlying causes of coagulation disorders by inhibiting HMGB1 and platelet factor 4 (PF4) activities.
COVID-19: 200 Candidates and Counting
To navigate through the >200 potential therapeutic and vaccine options for COVID-19, GEN has grouped the candidates into four broad categories based on their developmental and (where applicable) clinical progress:
● FRONT RUNNER – the most promising therapeutics/vaccines based on clinical progress, favorable data or both.
● DEFINITELY MAYBE – earlier phases with promising partners, or more advanced candidates in development that have generated uneven data.
● KEEPING AN EYE ON… – interesting technology, attracting notable partners, or both, but preliminary data.
● TOO SOON TO TELL – longshots pending additional experimental and/or clinical data.
GEN has also tagged the most common treatment types:
● ANTIVIRAL
● VAX
● ANTIBODY
● RNA
