Synairgen surges on positive results for Covid-19 treatment

(Sharecast News) - Synairgen shares surged on Friday after data from trials of its inhaled Covid-19 treatment, SNG001, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, showed positive results in hospitalised patients.
SNG001 - Synairgen's inhaled formulation of interferon beta-1a - was shown to be well tolerated and patients who received the drug had greater odds of improvement and recovered more rapidly, the company said.

Professor Tom Wilkinson, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton and lead author of the Lancet, said: "The results confirm our belief that interferon beta, a widely known drug approved for use in its injectable form for other indications, may have the potential as an inhaled drug to restore the lung's immune response and accelerate recovery from Covid-19.

"This pH neutral, inhaled interferon beta-1a formulation (SNG001) provides high, local concentrations of the immune protein which boosts lung defences rather than targeting specific viral mechanisms.

"This might carry additional advantages of treating Covid-19 when it occurs alongside infection by another respiratory virus such as influenza or respiratory syncytial virus that may well be encountered in the winter months."

At 1420 GMT, Synairgen shares were up 28.5% at 29.75p.