Revive Therapeutics partners with the University of California to study Bucillamine for treating severe COVID-19

Revive Therapeutics Ltd (CSE:RVV) (OTCMKTS:RVVTF) announced it has entered into a sponsored research agreement with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), to explore using the drug Bucillamine as a treatment for severe coronavirus (COVID-19).

Revive said the agreement will support research in the laboratory of Dr. John Fahy to test the efficacy of Bucillamine in pre-clinical models of COVID-19 and to design protocols that test the utility of the drug in human trials.

“We are excited to expand the use of Bucillamine as a potential treatment for severe COVID-19 with our research agreement with UCSF and Dr. Fahy as Principal Investigator. Revive is focused on proving Bucillamine’s clinical utility for all forms of COVID-19,” Revive Therapeutics CEO Michael Frank said in a statement.

READ: Revive Therapeutics has repurposed gout drug to fight coronavirus and is pushing into psychedelic medicine

“Evaluating Bucillamine for severe COVID-19 along with our dedication in completing our ongoing Phase 3 clinical study for mild-to-moderate COVID-19, which has grown from 14 clinical sites to now 26 participating sites in 10 U.S. states, will position Bucillamine as a potential oral treatment option for mild-moderate to severe COVID-19,” Frank added

Dr. Fahy is the senior author of a recent study, titled “Thiol-based drugs decrease binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to its receptor and inhibit SARS-CoV-2 cell entry,” which showed that thiol-based drugs, such as Bucillamine, decrease the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to its receptor, decrease the entry efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudotyped virus, and inhibit SARS-CoV-2 live virus infection.

Revive noted the findings uncovered a vulnerability of SARS-CoV-2 to thiol-based drugs and provide rationale to test thiol-based drugs such as Bucillamine as novel treatments for COVID-19.

The company added it is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate or cure COVID-19 (SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time.

Bucillamine is a long-established, US government-approved rheumatoid arthritis treatment.  

Revive Therapeutics is a life sciences company focused on the research and development of drugs for infectious diseases as well as central nervous system and inflammatory disorders.

Its cannabinoid pharmaceutical portfolio focuses on rare inflammatory areas such as liver disease. The company has been granted orphan drug status designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of CBD to treat auto-immune hepatitis and FDA orphan drug status designation for the use of CBD to treat ischemia and reperfusion injury from organ transplantations.

Contact Sean at [email protected]

Story by ProactiveInvestors