Benzinga | Jun 14, 2021 09:48AM EDT

Cocrystal Pharma's Preclinical Protease Inhibitor Effective Against Original, Two Variant COVID-19 Strains

* Cocrystal Pharma Inc (NASDAQ:COCP) has announced laboratory-based results for its lead preclinical SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitor, CDI-45205.

* A third-party laboratory contracted by Cocrystal conducted in vitro studies evaluating the antiviral activity of CDI-45205 and its analogs in VeroE6-eGFP cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan strain), the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7), and the South African variant (B.1.351).

* CDI-45205 and its analogs showed robust antiviral activity against both SARS-CoV-2 variants, surpassing the activity observed with SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan strain).

* Two reference inhibitors, including Gilead Sciences Inc's (NASDAQ:GILD) remdesivir and Pfizer Inc's (NYSE:PFE) PF-00835231, another SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitor, were included in the study as comparators.

* CDI-45205 showed good bioavailability in mouse and rat pharmacokinetic studies via intraperitoneal injection and no cytotoxicity against various human cell lines.

* The Company recently demonstrated a strong synergistic effect with remdesivir. Additionally, a proof-of-concept animal study demonstrated that daily injection of CDI-45205 exhibited favorable in vivo efficacy in MERS-CoV-infected mice.

* Price Action: COCP shares are up 11.2% at $1.39 during the premarket session on the last check Monday.