Daewoong reports progress in animal testing of tapeworm treatment medicine as COVID-19 medication

By Lim Chang-won Posted : June 5, 2020, 14:59 Updated : June 5, 2020, 14:59

[Courtesy of Daewoong Phamaceutical]

SEOUL -- Daewoong Pharmaceutical, a major bioengineering company in South Korea, claimed to have achieved progress in the initial animal testing of niclosamide, a tapeworm treatment medicine which has been selected as a candidate for COVID-19 antibody treatment.

Institut Pasteur Korea, an infectious disease-focused research institute, has embarked on a co-research mission with Daewoong Therapeuticits, a subsidiary of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, to test the efficacy of niclosamide (DWRX2003). Daewoong Pharmaceutical is in charge of clinical research and commercialization while Daewoong Therapeuticits is responsible for nonclinical research with Chungbuk National University College of Medicine.

Daewoong said that from the fourth day of an experiment conducted on ferrets, the amount of viruses detected in the nasal mucus has significantly decreased and viruses were removed from lung tissue. The company will carry out clinical trials in July.

Niclosamide basically starves tapeworms to death by inhibiting the glucose uptake, oxidative phosphorylation and anaerobic metabolism. It has shown similar metabolic effects against a wide range of organisms such as land slugs, aquatic parasites and microorganisms. The medication is currently being researched for its effectiveness against various types of cancer.


 
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