Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. a clinical stage pharmaceutical development company announces that NP-120 (Ifenprodil) reduced interleukin 6 (IL-6) with statistical significance in its recent Ifenprodil Phase 2b/3 COVID-19 trial, which may be informative for the Company’s ongoing Phase 2 trial of Ifenprodil for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic cough.
The Company reports that in the COVID-19 trial, one of the biomarkers that was measured was the change in IL-6 levels. In the measurement from baseline to day five, IL-6 was reduced in the 20 mg treatment arm by 267 ng/L, versus 7 ng/L in the standard of care arm (values are adjusted mean concentrations; p = 0.0292).
IL-6 acts as both a pro-inflammatory cytokine and an anti-inflammatory myokine and is encoded by the IL-6 gene. IL-6 can promote fibrosis by driving chronic inflammation and is elevated in patients with IPF.1 Blockade of IL-6 has been shown to attenuate pulmonary fibrosis in a mouse model.2
The effects of Ifenprodil on IL-6 may be helpful in better understanding its potential role as a possible therapeutic treatment for IPF.
The company recently announced it had achieved 50% of its enrollment target for its Phase 2 trial of Ifenprodil for IPF and chronic cough. Changes in IL-6 will be measured in this study, along with other markers of fibrosis such as C-reactive protein and collagen pro-peptides.
The Company advises that it is not making any express or implied claims that Ifenprodil has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain COVID-19 (or the SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time.