NEW YORK, Aug 10 — Drug developer Omeros Corp today reported positive results from a six-patient study of its investigational treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by Covid-19.
The company’s shares soared 45 per cent to US$20.60 (RM86.4) in premarket trading.
Omeros said all the six patients, who needed mechanical ventilation before treatment, recovered and were discharged from hospital.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, causes fluid to collect in the lungs, depriving organs of oxygen. Covid-19 patients with ARDS often require intensive care.
Omeros’ treatment, narsoplimab, is a human monoclonal antibody that recognizes and locks onto a virus, preventing the infection from spreading.
The company said it was in talks with the US government for potential funding to speed up large-scale manufacturing of narsoplimab.
The US government, under the “Operation Warp Speed” initiative aimed at accelerating access to vaccines and treatments to fight Covid-19, has so far agreed to invest more than US$7 billion in vaccines and has funded more than 30 projects, including those for diagnostics and treatments.
A manuscript detailing the results of the study has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Immunobiology, Omeros said. — Reuters
