Ethris GmbH, a biotech company that works on developing RNA-based medicines and vaccines, has started giving treatment to patients in a Phase 2a trial for ETH47, which is their main mRNA antiviral medicine. This treatment is being tested to see if it can help reduce asthma symptoms caused by the rhinovirus in adults who have asthma. ETH47 is given through the nose and delivers a protein called interferon lambda (IFNλ), which helps protect the airways from viruses. The treatment aims to tackle one of the main reasons for sudden asthma flare-ups by directly targeting the virus that causes them.
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The new trial, which is listed under ISRCTN21576805, follows good results from a previous Phase 1 study (ISRCTN15391202) where ETH47 was found to be safe and well-tolerated by healthy people. That study showed that the treatment successfully boosted antiviral defenses in the lungs, with high levels of IFNλ and related genes being activated. Also, the treatment didn’t spread to other parts of the body, so there’s less risk of side effects elsewhere in the body.
Dr. Thomas Langenickel, the Chief Medical Officer of Ethris, said, “Starting the first patient in our Phase 2a trial for ETH47 is a big step for Ethris. It shows we’re moving forward with our main candidate and proving the potential of our platform. ETH47 is a promising treatment that works in a new way to strengthen the body’s defenses against viruses in the airways. By targeting viruses early, it might change how asthma is treated and reduce the number of sudden attacks. This trial lets us test a new way of treating asthma and, if it works, set a new standard for asthma care and open the door for more advances in lung diseases.”
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Sebastian Johnston, a professor at Imperial College London and a scientific adviser to Ethris, said, “After more than 30 years of research on the role of respiratory viruses in asthma, it’s clear we need new treatments to deal with the main causes of asthma flare-ups. Most current treatments focus on symptoms or inflammation. There’s still a big need for treatments that directly fight viruses and build up the body’s defenses. This is where innovative treatments like ETH47 could make a real difference for patients and healthcare systems.”
The Phase 2a trial is being run by VirTus Respiratory Research Ltd at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. It will include 50 adults with asthma who will be exposed to the rhinovirus. They will then be randomly given either ETH47 or a dummy treatment. The main goal is to see if ETH47 can reduce symptoms in the lower airways by using the Lower Respiratory Symptoms Score (LRSS), a tool that tracks patient reports twice a day. The researchers hope to see if the treatment can bring the health of asthma patients closer to that of healthy people. If the Phase 2a results are positive, Ethris plans to move on to a larger Phase 2b trial, which will test ETH47’s effectiveness in preventing asthma attacks more widely and further examine how it can improve the quality of life and health outcomes for people with asthma.
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