- Starpharma (SPL) has successfully applied its drug delivery technology to create a long-acting, water-soluble version of remdesivir
- Remdesvir is anti-viral drug which is currently being used as an emergency treatment for COVID-19 patients
- The drug has to be administered intravenously, because of its low solubility
- But, Starpharma said by using its novel delivery technology, remdesvir becomes highly water-soluble and could be administered less frequently
- The company didn’t state if they were seeking to arrange a partnership with remdesivir maker Gilead, to combine their products
- Shares in SPL are trading up 12.5 per cent at $1.71
Starpharma (SPL) has successfully applied its novel drug delivery technology to COVID-19 treatment drug, remdesivir.
The company said by applying its DEP drug delivery technology it can create a longer-lasting version of the potentially life-saving treatment.
Remdesivir
Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug which is currently being used worldwide as a treatment for coronavirus patients, who are severely ill in hospital.
The drug is not officially approved for use, and is currently only being used in countries for emergency situations — such as those posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The anti-viral treatment has to be administered intravenously, because of its low solubility and can take up to two hours to apply.
It also has to be administered to sick COVID-19 patients daily, for either five or 10 days in a row.
DEP drug delivery
In a bid to speed-up this process, Starpharma applied its novel DEP drug delivery technology to remdesivir.
The results were promising – with the technology creating a long-acting, water-soluble version of remdesivir which could be administered less often.
“The ability to deliver remdesivir via a long-acting, subcutaneous injection has the potential to expand its application outside hospitals, into settings like aged care, and also facilitate its use in countries with less developed healthcare systems,” Starpharma CEO Jackie Fairley said.
“It would also improve patient convenience and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. We’re pleased to be able to utilise the DEP platform to improve the delivery of this important antiviral medicine,” she added.
The company didn’t state if it was seeking to arrange a partnership with remdesivir maker Gilead to combine both companies products.
Shares in Starpharma are trading up following today’s news.
Shares are worth $1.71, up 12.5 per cent at 1.56 pm AEST.