Benzinga | May 6, 2021 07:35AM EDT

Trevena Announces TRV027 Selected By NIH-Funded ACTIV Initiative For COVID-19 Trial

Trevena, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRVN), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel medicines for patients with central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced that TRV027, the Company's novel AT1 receptor selective agonist, has been selected for an NIH ACTIV (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines) trial in COVID-19 patients.

"The NIH's ongoing ACTIV public-private partnership has facilitated the unprecedented development of cutting-edge vaccines and therapeutics to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. I am honored to be joining their mission as they continue to search for new treatments to combat the severe complications caused by the novel coronavirus," said Carrie Bourdow, President and Chief Executive Officer of Trevena, Inc. "Vanderbilt University Medical Center has emerged as a leader in COVID-19 research in the U.S., and I look forward to supporting their investigation of TRV027 as a potentially meaningful therapy for COVID-19 patients."

TRV027 combats disruption within the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) by specifically binding to and rebalancing AT1 receptor activation, blocking the damaging pathway that leads to acute lung damage and abnormal blood clotting, while activating the cellular pathway that selectively targets reparative actions that improve lung function and promote anti-inflammatory effects. The trial, known as ACTIV-4d RAAS, is a component of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the NIH's CONNECTS (Collaborating Network of Networks for Evaluating COVID-19 and Therapeutic Strategies) initiative. The objective of ACTIV-4d RAAS is to evaluate treatments targeting the RAAS and to determine whether modulation of the RAAS is an effective strategy for preventing progression to critical illness, multiorgan failure, or mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

"The development of symptomatic treatments is critical in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. TRV027 represents a new approach to targeting the AT1 receptor and reversing organ damage caused by RAAS imbalance, while harnessing the protective therapeutic benefits of this receptor target," said Sean Collins, M.D., M.Sci., Principal Investigator of the ACTIV-4d trial, Co-Director of the Vanderbilt Coordinating Center and Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "I am very pleased with this opportunity to study TRV027 and to have Trevena's support as we continue our search for new treatments for COVID-19 patients."