‘Breakthrough’ claim for existing drug

NAPIER: A Hawke’s Baybased biotechnology company is claiming a ‘‘breakthrough’’ that could mean an existing drug, used to treat tape worms, is repurposed as a potential treatment for Covid19.

Estendart Holdings Ltd (EHL) managing director Alan Alexander said the company had filed an application for a provisional patent and was working with the Ministry of Health to secure further funding for the next phase — developing a drug for a phase 1 human trial.

Dr Alexander, more well known in the region for veterinary science, has spent the past nine months researching the antiviral properties of a drug known as niclosamide, which was identified by the Institut Pasteur Korea as the leading candidate for the treatment of Covid19 in April last year.

However, the drug was previously insoluble — meaning it could not be absorbed by the bloodstream when taken orally, preventing large amounts of the drug reaching the site of infection.

‘‘It looked to be very effective,’’ he said.

‘‘The question is how to get it into the body.’’

EHL had developed a process for solubilising niclosamide, allowing it to be circulated within the bloodstream, which was a ‘‘breakthrough’’, Dr Alexander said.

Niclosamide inactivated the coronavirus, which was spread by hijacking healthy cells and corrupting their RNA (ribonucleic acid) — genetic code carriers — to make copies of itself, killing cells and repeating the cycle, he said.

This antiviral activity meant niclosamide could be developed as a potential treatment for Covid19.

‘‘Repurposing existing drugs for new uses is a common approach as it avoids the huge cost and delay in developing new medicines.’’

A Ministry of Health spokesman confirmed it was aware of Dr Alexander and EHL’s work.

‘‘We are awaiting further documents concerning the formulation and the proposed basic and clinical research programme.’’ — The New Zealand Herald