Synairgen partners with Ashfield Engage on inhaled Covid-19 therapy

Respiratory company Synairgen has partnered with Ashfield Engage to advance its antiviral Covid-19 treatment towards commercialisation.

Synairgen is developing an inhaled interferon-beta or IFN-beta for the treatment of Covid-19. The company’s SNG001 could act as the first host-targeted, broad-spectrum antiviral treatment delivered directly into the lungs.

In November, Synairgen completed the enrolment of 610 patients in its Phase 3 SPRINTER rial and is expecting data early this year.

Additionally, SNG001 has been granted Fast Track status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Phase 3 SPRINTER trial was classified as an Urgent Public Health study by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Through the partnership, Ashfield Engage will support Synairgen as it builds its commercialisation infrastructure for the needs of SNG001. Initially, focus will be placed in the US, pending the completion of clinical trials and the appropriate regulatory authorisations. Ashfield Engage will work with Synairgen to assist with the recruitment of dedicated medical affairs, patient services, commercial and market access teams.

SNG001 is an investigational inhaled formulation of the naturally occurring antiviral protein IFN-beta for potential use in patients hospitalised with COvid-19. The SARS-CoV-2 virus supresses local production of IFN-beta prevents induction of anti-viral responses by infected cells.

“There remains an urgent need for new therapies to treat hospitalised Covid-19 patients in order to prevent disease progression, accelerate hospital discharge and enable patients to quickly resume their usual activities,” said Richard Hennings, chief commercial officer of Synairgen. “We are excited to be working with Ashfield Engage given their relevant Covid-19 experience and are confident they understand our needs and values as we build the optimal team.”

Greg Flynn, global president of Ashfield Engage, said: “It is a privilege to support Synairgen in bringing this innovative potential treatment to Covid-19 patients. Having initially collaborated with Synairgen regarding patient support, we have together developed a truly consultative approach – taking the time to fully understand patient needs and providing solutions in both hospital and home settings.

“We’re grateful that our collaboration has now evolved into a significantly wider partnership which will see us recruiting experts to support delivery of this novel nebulised antiviral to patients, providing MSLs to educate on the SNG001 treatment, and establishing medical information services to respond to patient enquiries.”