Nano-Niclosamide Has Potential to Treat COVID-19

Researchers from the University of Liverpool have shown the potential of repurposing an existing and cheap drug into a long-acting injectable therapy that could be used to treat COVID-19.

Long-acting injectable therapy has potential to treat COVID-19. In a paper published in the journal Nanoscale, researchers of the University's Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT) demonstrate nanoparticle-based niclosamide as an antiviral candidate.

Researchers started screening of various compounds within weeks of the first lockdown. Niclosamide is just one of the drug compounds identified that shows efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.

‘Nanoparticle- formulations of niclosamide reconstituted with water can be utilised as long acting injectable to combat COVID-19.’
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CELT scientists used nanoprecipitation to form redispersible solid drug nanoparticle formulations of niclosamide that can be stored as solids, reconstituted with water and utilised as long acting injectables.

Circulating drug concentrations may be maintained for the duration of early infection after a single injection.

Professor Steve Rannard said: "Repurposing drug compounds is much more than using existing medicines for a new disease. The existing active drug compound needs to be shown to be active at a significant level, then reformulated to address new challenges.

"This is still in early-stage development but the CELT team are currently working with a contract manufacturing organisation to take this forward towards scale up and clinical manufacture. This work is progressing well and if successful, human trials would be next.

We envisage a future `Test-and-Treat' scenario where infected people are treated at the point of diagnosis with the full course of therapy in one injection."

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Professor Andrew Owen said: "Repurposing of medicines for SARS-CoV-2 has yielded mixed results, with some clear successes for immunomodulatory drugs such as dexamethasone, and work underway to repurpose drugs like favipiravir and molnupiravir that were designed for other viruses.

"The ultimate utility of our long-acting injectable can only be determined in adequately powered and well controlled randomised clinical trials but unlike other drugs that have been explored for repurposing niclosamide target concentrations may be achievable in humans.

The formulation has shown great promise in preclinical studies at a time when it is increasingly evident that drugs are urgently required to compliment the vaccines.

"A global pandemic requires a global solution, and it is critical that interventions are available to everyone and not to the privileged few. Accordingly, we are currently working to remove obstacles to availability in low- and middle-income countries to ensure equitable access if clinical success is ultimately demonstrated."

This research paper builds on previous reports released from the team in April 2020 and published in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The CELT team have strongly advocated in further publications in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, that repurposing of drugs requires new strategies that encompass reformulation and specific dose optimisation that addresses the needs of SARS-CoV-2 treatment.

Source-Medindia