Eradivir announces Phase 2 human challenge study of EV25 in healthy adults infected with influenza

(Press-News.org) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Eradivir, a clinical-stage small molecule immunotherapy biotech company, announced it has begun a Phase 2 challenge study with its antiviral therapeutic, EV25. The study will provide safety and efficacy data gathered from otherwise healthy participants infected with influenza then later treated with EV25.

EV25 was built on a platform created in Philip Low’s lab. Low is the Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in Purdue University’s College of Science. Low is Eradivir’s chief scientific officer and on its board of directors.

The European Medicines Agency and Belgium’s Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products approved the Phase 2 challenge study after the successful completion of a Phase 1 study on EV25. Based on the preliminary Phase 1 safety results, a safety review committee comprising study staff and independent physicians concluded the compound was well tolerated by participants.

Martin Low, CEO of Eradivir, said the company is moving quickly to the challenge study because of its confidence in EV25.

“We have conducted over 150 preclinical studies with EV25, which demonstrated its ability to quickly eliminate the virus in the lungs even when taken 96 hours postinfection. These studies have also shown EV25’s ability to treat several flu strains, including pandemic strains and those resistant to current flu drugs. We have been able to positively differentiate EV25 across several other parameters from currently available therapies,” Martin Low said. “Our preclinical research was recently published in the peer-reviewed Nature Communications and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”

Up to 60 people will be tested in the Phase 2 challenge study, which will provide preliminary data on EV25’s efficacy against influenza and confirm its safety. Data from both the Phase 1 and Phase 2 challenge studies will be available in September.

Pending the results of the challenge study, a Phase 2b patient study will begin in the U.S. and Europe this fall at the beginning of the 2025-26 flu season. This larger study will include about 375 participants.

Purdue connections

Philip Low is on the faculty of the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research. Low’s research supports Purdue’s One Health mission, which drives innovation at the intersection of human, animal and plant health.

Eradivir is a Purdue Strategic Ventures portfolio company.

About Eradivir

Eradivir’s goal is to focus the power of the immune system to treat disease. The company is developing the BAiT platform (Bispecific Antigenic immuno-Therapy), which leverages small molecules to tether a patient’s immune cells specifically to a diseased cell facilitating its rapid and selective destruction. EV25 is Eradivir’s first drug to enter human trials. Therapies are currently being developed for other viruses, including RSV. 

About Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university’s academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. In fiscal year 2024, the office reported 145 deals finalized with 224 technologies signed, 466 invention disclosures received, and 290 U.S. and international patents received. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

Media contact: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org

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