Swiss PharmaCan and its Australia-based study partner, MGC Pharma, have announced that phase II testing of the potential anti-COVID drug ArtemiC has produced promising results, showing a statistically significant improvement in the clinical recovery of COVID-19 patients versus a placebo group.
None of the subjects treated with ArtemiC required supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation or intensive care. In contrast, these interventions were necessary for 23.4 percent of patients in the placebo group. The study involved 50 infected patients at three independent hospitals in Israel and met all of the COVID-19 study requirements of the North American regulatory authority, the FDA.
ArtemiC is a drug candidate based on Swiss PharmaCan’s innovative, licensed technology. It imitates the same molecular encapsulation process that the human body uses to absorb liposoluble molecules, called micellization. Swiss PharmaCan explains on its website: “We can now achieve results that were once thought impossible – and we do it using only natural products.”
According to the press release, the phase II results open up market opportunities for a variety of illnesses that are associated with a potentially fatal cytokine storm, as is COVID-19. This includes influenza, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders, and the effects of chemotherapy. Consequently, the phase III study is expected to be an international, multicenter study involving 250 patients with a broad spectrum of inflammatory indications for the use of ArtemiC. It is anticipated to take place in Brazil in the first half of 2021.
