Enanta : New Data For EDP-235 Shows Highly Potent Antiviral Activity Against SARS-CoV-2

(RTTNews) - Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ENTA) presented preclinical data of EDP-235, the company's Lead oral protease inhibitor designed for the treatment of COVID-19, at the ISIRV-WHO Virtual Conference 2021, demonstrating potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication.

"As the respiratory tract is the initial site of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we are particularly pleased to see good distribution of EDP-235 into lung cells as well as other key target tissues," said Jay Luly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Enanta.

Luly noted that the combination of potent antiviral activity and a favorable pharmacokinetic profile positions EDP-235 to potentially be a best-in-class, once-daily oral therapy for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

According to the company, EDP-235 showed good human Caco-2 cell permeability and a low plasma clearance in human liver microsomes. Consistent with this in vitro data, EDP-235 had robust plasma exposure with an oral bioavailability of 95% in rats.

Moreover, EDP-235 had favorable in vivo penetration into multiple target tissues, including lung, kidney, liver, and heart. The results indicated that EDP-235 has good oral bioavailability and target tissue distribution compared to other antivirals in development for SARS-CoV-2.

Based on allometric scaling, EDP-235 is projected to have a long half-life of 16 hours with an efficacious dose of 100 to 500 mg once-daily in humans. The data indicated that EDP-235 has the potential for once-daily oral dosing with a low pill burden.

Enanta said it has completed IND-enabling preclinical studies of EDP-235 and plans to advance the candidate into the clinic in early 2022.