Pharnext Announces Identification of a Large Set of Frequently Prescribed Drugs to be Repurposed for Fighting COVID-19, Using its PleotherapyTM Platform

Pharnext 
Pharnext Announces Identification of a Large Set of Frequently Prescribed Drugs to 
be Repurposed for Fighting COVID-19, Using its PleotherapyTM Platform 
 
23-March-2020 / 07:30 CET/CEST 
Dissemination of a French Regulatory News, transmitted by EQS Group. 
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 
 
*Pharnext Announces Identification of a Large Set of Frequently Prescribed Drugs 
to be Repurposed for Fighting COVID-19, Using its Pleotherapy**TM** Platform* 
 
*-*_A __novel __strategy to __rapidly__ reposition drugs __using __existing 
COVID__-__19 clinical data- _ 
 
_- Methods, findings and proposals from Pharnext are available at Preprints.org 
(_https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202003.0302/v1 [1]_) and awaiting peer 
review -_ 
 
*PARIS, France,** 7**:30am**, **March 23**, 2020 (CET) - *Pharnext [2] SA 
(FR0011191287 - ALPHA), a biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new approach to 
developing innovative drug combinations based on big genomic data and artificial 
intelligence, today announced the identification of 97 frequently prescribed drugs 
as potential candidates to be repositioned for treating COVID-19 through the use 
of its Pleotherapy platform. 
In a pandemic emergency situation, the repurposing of already-known drugs is a 
method of choice prior to vaccine development. Various drug repositioning efforts 
are ongoing worldwide. However, the understanding of COVID-19, a disease that 
emerged less than four months ago, is highly limited. To respond to the urgency, 
especially as it may take up to a year before a vaccine is available to patients, 
Pharnext applied an original strategy based on its experience in complex disease 
mechanisms and bioinformatics methods in order to find drugs to modify the disease 
more immediately. 
 
Once a virus enters human cells, it utilizes the cellular machinery to its 
advantage, allowing the virus to proliferate within the human host. Pharnext's 
strategy was to evaluate which part of this machinery is affected by coronaviruses 
(e.g., COVID-19, SARS, MERS). This allowed the Company to identify already 
approved drugs for common diseases, which can also potentially impair the 
COVID-19-related viral process. In total, Pharnext identified 97 candidate drugs, 
most of which are not known to have antiviral activities. In addition, four of the 
drugs Pharnext identified using its methodology are already undergoing clinical 
trials for COVID-19, including chloroquine. 
 
A large group of the identified repositioning candidate drugs were originally 
developed and used for frequent medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes and 
hypertension. It happens that the individuals suffering from these diseases have 
some of the highest risks to evolve towards severe forms of COVID-19. This 
suggests, besides multiple potential reasons linking these pathologies and an 
outcome of COVID-19 infection, a biological link between these common diseases, 
sensitivity to COVID-19 and the drugs Pharnext has identified. 
 
Pharnext's strategy of focusing on already approved drugs for common diseases as 
repositioning candidates (e.g., statins, anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive 
drugs) results in two significant advantages: 
 
  1) Quickly prioritizes the best candidates by comparing COVID-19 evolution among 
  patients taking these drugs vs. patients not taking these drugs, through big 
  data analysis of medical records ("real-world evidence" testing), to rapidly 
  launch launch further confirmatory studies. 
 
  2) Provide to the population: The rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus calls for a 
  rapid response. Once proven effective, the top candidates could be made 
  immediately available as they are already produced to treat common diseases. 
 
"_Pharnext is dedicated to identifying potential drugs that may be repurposed to 
treat COVID-19,_" *said Daniel Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive 
Officer of Pharnext*. "_From our Pleotherapy approach, which can be applied to any 
disease, Pharnext has conceived a method __enabling a rapid drug repositioning to 
fight COVID-19._ A coordinated international effort is urgently needed to 
mutualize i) comprehensive COVID-19 patient data and ii) confined facilities 
suited for significant experimental testing. For the sake of patients and our 
communities, we hope that the biopharma community and health regulatory agencies 
worldwide can work together to find a way for ultra-fast approval tracks for these 
and other therapies." 
Candidate drugs proposed by Pharnext need to be further tested for confirmation, 
as mono- or polytherapy, following two parallel processes for an accelerated 
preclinical evaluation and clinical development: 1) standard preclinical disease 
models and 2) "real-world evidence" testing, whereby big data from medical records 
are used to compare COVID-19 patients, who are already taking these candidate 
drugs.[1] 
Hydroxychloroquine, Chloroquine and Azythromicine have generated encouraging 
results in clinical trials, which have also been identified by Pharnext's 
approach. 
Pharnext is currently evaluating various options to validate its initial findings 
as well as to further advance the work towards a treatment for COVID-19 through 
various collaborations. 
About COVID-19 
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (nCoV-2019) virus, a 
coronavirus like MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, which first emerged four months ago in 
Asia, and which has infected more than 260,000 individuals and caused more than 
11,000 deaths worldwide according to the latest World Health Organization report. 
As of today, there are no approved treatments against COVID-19 and vaccines are 
still in their early development. 
About Pharnext 
Pharnext is an advanced clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel 
therapeutics for orphan and common neurodegenerative diseases that currently lack 
curative and/or disease-modifying treatments. Pharnext has two lead products in 
clinical development. PXT3003 completed an international Phase 3 trial with 
positive topline results for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A 
and benefits from orphan drug status in Europe and the United States. PXT864 has 
generated encouraging Phase 2 results in Alzheimer's disease. Pharnext has 
developed a new drug discovery paradigm based on big genomic data and artificial 
intelligence: PLEOTHERAPY. Pharnext identifies and develops synergic 
combinations of drugs called PLEODRUG. The Company was founded by renowned 
scientists and entrepreneurs, including Professor Daniel Cohen, a pioneer in 
modern genomics, and is supported by a world-class scientific team. More 
information at www.pharnext.com [3]. 
Pharnext is listed on the Euronext Growth Stock Exchange in Paris (ISIN code: 
FR0011191287). 
*Disclaimer* 
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Pharnext 
and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that 
Pharnext considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that the 
estimates contained in such forward-looking statements will be verified, which 
estimates are subject to numerous risks including the risks set forth in 
Pharnext's document de base filed with the AMF on June 2, 2016, under number 
I.016-0050 as well as in its annual periodic management reports and press releases 
(copies of which are available on www.pharnext.com) and to the development of 
economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Pharnext operates. 
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to 
risks not yet known to Pharnext or not currently considered material by Pharnext. 
The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial 
conditions, performance, or achievements of Pharnext to be materially different 
from such forward-looking statements. Pharnext disclaims any intention or 
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as 
a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. 
This press release and the information that it contains do not constitute an offer 
to sell or subscribe for, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe 
for, Pharnext shares in any country. 
 
*Contacts* 
*Pharnext* 
Daniel Cohen 
Chief Executive 
Officer 
[e-mail] 
[4]m 
[phone] 
30 
*Media Relations (Europe)*            *Financial        *Investors**Relations 
Ulysse Communication                  Communication     (U.S.)* 
Bruno Arabian                         **(France)*       Stern Investor 
[phone]                  Actifin           Relations, Inc. 
barabian                              Stéphane Ruiz     Jane Urheim 
[5]@ulysse-communication.com          [e-mail]  [e-mail] 
Pierre-Louis Germain                  [phone]    [phone] 
[phone]                  11 15 
[e-mail] 
 
*Media Relations (U.S.) * 
Rooney Partners 
Kate Barrette 
[e-mail] 
[phone] 
 
4 
[1] _Pharnext emphasizes that the drugs proposed as candidates from its novel 
methods and analysis have not yet completed preclinical or clinical testing with 
COVID-19 virus, which is needed to confirm efficacy and safety in COVID-19 
patients prior to prescription and use._ 
 
Regulatory filing PDF file 
 
Document title: Pharnext Announces Identification of a Large Set of Frequently 
Prescribed Drugs to be Repurposed for Fighting COVID-19, Using its PleotherapyTM 
Platform 
Document: https://eqs-cockpit.com/c/fncls.ssp?u=WREMVKDBLW [6] 
1003733 23-March-2020 CET/CEST 
 
 
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 23, 2020 02:30 ET (06:30 GMT)