Oncology and rare diseases focused Mereo BioPharma said it had initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a potential treatment for people with moderate to severe Covid-19.
The Phase 1b/2 placebo-controlled trial involved alvelestat, a novel, oral small molecule designed to inhibit neutrophil elastase, a key enzyme involved in the destruction of lung tissue.
Alvelestat was already being investigated by Mereo in a Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial in patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
Around 15 patients would be randomized to receive either alvelestat plus standard of care or placebo plus standard of care for 10 days.
The primary endpoint of the trial was safety and tolerability of alvelestat at day 10, with a safety follow up to day 90.
