COVID-19 Update for 6/23/2020

​EIDD-2801
 
Ridgeback Biotherapeutics is developing EIDD-2801, an oral nucleoside analog that inhibits the replication of RNA viruses such as influenza and coronaviruses. In May, Ridgeback licensed manufacturing and development to Merck. Pending approval of the licensing deal with Merck, Ridgeback is moving forward with development.

• EIDD-2801 is dosed twice a day for 5 days.
• Ridgeback announced that in a 15-day, 122 patient, Phase I trial (NCT04392219), administration of EIDD-2801 produced no safety issues at serum levels estimated to reduce pulmonary virus levels.
• Ridgeback is evaluating the effect of EIDD-2801 on clearing the COVID-19 virus in a 28-day, 60 patient Phase II trial (NCT04405739) of newly diagnosed, hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.
• Ridgeback is also evaluating the effect of EIDD-2801 on clearing the COVID-19 virus in a 28-day, 44 patient, Phase II trial (NCT04405570) of newly diagnosed, non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

 
Remdesivir
 
Gilead is evaluating remdesivir administered as an inhalation in a Phase I study in healthy volunteers and hopes to initiate a COVID-19 patient trial in August 2020, with this formulation.
 
Hydroxychloroquine
 
NIH discontinued the ORCHID study in June 2020. The Orchid trial was evaluating hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The discontinuation was recommended by the data and safety monitoring board after an interim analysis of data from 470 patients indicated that while hydroxychloroquine was safe, it was unlikely to demonstrate a beneficial effect.
 
Dexamethasone
 
You can get an early look at the dexamethasone data from the RECOVERY trial in a draft of the paper that is available on an editorial server.