$CMRX Chimerix Inc Moving big pore market - Covid-19

DURHAM, N.C., April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chimerix (CMRX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on accelerating the development of medicines to treat cancer and other serious diseases, today announced the Company’s initiation of a Phase 2/3 study of dociparstat sodium (DSTAT) in COVID-19 patients with acute lung injury (ALI).

DSTAT is a glycosaminoglycan derivative of heparin with robust anti-inflammatory properties, including the potential to address underlying causes of coagulation disorders with substantially reduced risk of bleeding complications compared to commercially available forms of heparin.1

“Given the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have evaluated many potential targets to address the clinical manifestations associated with severe COVID-19,”said Joseph Lasky, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Section Chief, John W. Deming, M.D. Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine at Tulane University Medical School. “Based on the literature, we believe DSTAT has the potential to reduce the excessive inflammation, immune cell infiltration and hypercoagulation associated with poor outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 infection.”

“DSTAT is well-suited to unlock the anti-inflammatory properties of heparin as it may be dosed at much higher levels than any available form of heparin without triggering bleeding complications,” said Mike Sherman, Chief Executive Officer of Chimerix. “We had planned to evaluate DSTAT in several indications of high unmet need, including ALI from different causes. The pandemic intensified our focus on ALI associated with COVID-19. Our team has worked closely with critical care physicians treating COVID-19 patients and with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop a Phase 2/3 protocol to determine if DSTAT can reduce the need for mechanical ventilation and improve the rate of survival in patients with severe COVID-19 infection.”