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Dr Raul Insa, CEO and founder of SOM Biotech (Foto: SOM Biotech).
 19.10.2020

SOM Biotech identifies eravacycline as an effective treatment against SARS-CoV-2

The biopharmaceutical company SOM Biotech,based in the Barcelona Science Park, announces the preclinical validation studies of eravacycline as an effective treatment against SARS-CoV-2. The conclusions of the studies will be presented at the virtual event IDWeek 2020. that will be held from October 21 to 25. Eravacycline is one of the three drugs that the company has identified and validated in collaboration with Ewha Womans University for the treatment of the new coronavirus, and SOM already plans to carry out a Phase 2 clinical trial.

 

 

SOM Biotech announces today that it will present in silico and in vitro results regarding eravacycline for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 during a virtual poster presentation at the IDWeek 2020. The poster is entitled “Repurposing of Eravacycline for the Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Infections”. It outlines pre-clinical data demonstrating that eravacycline is a potent inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease.

Eravacycline was identified using an AI-based screening technology (SOMAIPRO), that analyzed a database of clinically tested compounds in search of inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease, a viral protein essential for coronavirus infection and replication in host cells.

Covalent docking calculations demonstrated that eravacycline establishes a covalent bond with Cys145 in the catalytic domain of the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease. In vitro experiments confirmed inhibition of the protease with an IC50 in the low micromolar range. Eravacycline inhibits the infection of SARS-CoV-2 in VeroE6 cells and shows no toxicity when applied alone.

The studies also showed that eravacycline inhibits the 3CL proteases of other related coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Thus, the data suggest that the drug could be repositioned for the treatment of beta-coronaviruses infections.

“It is a pleasure to share our in vitro findings on eravacycline for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 and to target the hospitalized patients by the virus. The drug accumulates in the lung and has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity. Therefore, it may play an important role in treating COVID-19 infections, additionally to its inhibitory capacity for virus replication. We are planning a Phase 2 clinical trial to prove the efficacy of eravacycline in hospitalized COVID-19 patients”, says Raul Insa, CEO of SOM Biotech.

► For further information:  SOM Biotech web site [+]
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