Benzinga | Oct 26, 2020 07:32AM EDT

BioSig Technologies Announces Its ViralClear Pharmaceuticals Subsidiary Has Halted Its Phase 2 Hospitalized COVID-19 Trial

Westport, CT, Oct. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioSig Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:BSGM) ("BioSig" or the "Company") and its majority owned subsidiary, ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ViralClear), announced the halting of its signal finding Phase 2 trial, "A Phase 2, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Merimepodib in Combination with Intravenous Remdesivir in Adult Patients with Advanced Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)".

After the implementation of a protocol amendment that expanded the size of the trial from 40 to 80 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and that limited enrollment to seriously ill patients, (NIAID Grade 3, who required high flow, high concentration oxygen to maintain adequate oxygenation) the Safety Monitoring Committee (SMC) was unblinded for safety reasons since these patients are at higher risk for dying from their disease. At the time of the most recent review of the data by the SMC, 44 patients had been enrolled in the trial of whom 42 had received study drug (either merimepodib solution or matching placebo). This most recent review of the data documented all 22 Grade 4 patients were discharged from the hospital and did not relapse during the 37 day follow-up period. However, patients who were NIAID Grade 3 patients (n = 20) at the time of enrollment had markedly different outcomes. Specifically, the unblinded SMC detected an imbalance in survival rates in these NIAID Grade 3 patients between the placebo and merimepodib making it unlikely that the trial would meet its primary safety endpoints. The company has therefore elected to stop enrollment into the clinical trial. Patients will be followed as per the protocol for safety monitoring; however, no further study drug treatments will be administered.

At this time, the Company does not intend to further develop merimepodib. However, the Company will see if other parties are interested in acquiring or licensing merimepodib.