S. Korean company to start clinical trial for potential coronavirus treatment in U.S.

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, June 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean biopharmaceutical maker Genexine Inc. said Thursday it has won approval to conduct a clinical trial for its potential coronavirus treatment in the United States.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light for the phase 1 clinical trial of anti-cancer drug candidate GX-I7 for treating COVID-19 patients, according to the company.

GX-I7 -- co-developed by U.S.-based biopharmaceutical firm NeoImmuneTech Inc. -- will be administered in adult COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms, the company said.

GX-I7 is the immuno-therapeutic drug that fuses cytokine interleukin-7, which plays an essential role in the proliferation of T cells in the body.

Genexine is currently also part of a six-firm consortium that includes SK Life Science Inc., a unit of the country's No. 3 conglomerate SK Group, in developing novel COVID-19 vaccines.

The Genexine consortium has successfully carried out an experiment of its vaccine candidate on monkeys, with consortium member Binex completing the production of a sample.

khj@yna.co.kr
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