New SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody enters Clinical Phase
18.12.2020 16:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Cologne University Hospital (UKK), University of Marburg (UMR), the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) and Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the initiation of Phase 1/2a clinical investigation of BI 767551, a new SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody. By combining UKK, UMR and DZIF’s expertise in virology, immunology and clinical investigation with Boehringer Ingelheim’s expertise in developing and manufacturing therapeutic antibodies, the partners developed BI 767551 as a potential new therapeutic and preventive/prophylactic option for fighting COVID-19.
Virus neutralizing antibodies are expected to become an important line of defense against SARS-CoV-2, complementing vaccines and nonpharmaceutical interventions. They are being investigated as a therapy option for individuals with mild or severe infections, but also as prevention or prophylaxis in non-infected people with a high risk of infection or at risk of serious outcomes. Directly delivering BI 767551 to the lung by inhalation has the potential to provide fast acting protection from virus infection in the respiratory tract.
The new antibody BI 767551 was derived from blood samples of recovered COVID-19 patients at UKK, examined for SARS-CoV-2 neutralization at UMR and developed further in collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim. The clinical study will be led by Prof. Florian Klein and Prof. Gerd Fätkenheuer at UKK and Boehringer Ingelheim will supply the antibody. “With BI 767551, we aim to provide an effective option for preventing and treating COVID-19,” explains Prof. Florian Klein, Director of the Institute for Virology at the Cologne University Hospital and Principal Investigator at the DZIF.
”Monoclonal antibodies are a promising component in the fight against new viruses, such as the SARS-CoV-2. If this antibody turns out to be effective against COVID-19, this finding could be helpful in the current and also in future epidemics and pandemics. I am glad that we are able to assist in the development of this compound," says Prof. Stephan Becker, Director of the Institute of Virology at University of Marburg and Coordinator Emerging Infections, DZIF.
“We are excited to contribute to the development of BI 767551 in collaboration with our partners, with the aim to provide an innovative SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody, combining a systemic with an inhaled route of administration” said Michel Pairet, member of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Board of Managing Directors with responsibility for the company’s Innovation Unit.
The Phase 1/2a studies (NCT04631705, NCT04631666) will evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of the antibody. In Phase 1, the antibody will be administered to participants either with a single infusion or a single inhalation. If the antibody is well tolerated, late-stage confirmatory studies will be conducted.
Please click on the following link for ‘Notes to Editors’:
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201218005318/en/
Contact information
Media Contacts
Boehringer Ingelheim
Dr. Reinhard Malin
Head of Communications Innovation Unit
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH
Media + PR
P: +49 6132 77-90815
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Linda Ruckel
Senior Associate Director, Media and Corporate Reputation
Boehringer Ingelheim U.S.
Media + PR
P: +1 203-791-6672
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Cologne University Hospital (UKK)
Christoph Wanko
Stellvertretender Pressesprecher
Stabsabteilung Unternehmenskommunikation
und Marketing
Tel.: +49 (221) 478 88757
christoph.wanko@uk-koeln.de
University of Marburg (UMR)
Dr. Gabriele Neumann
Leiterin der Stabsstelle Hochschulkommunikation
Pressesprecherin
Tel.: +49 6421 28-26118
Mail: gabriele.neumann@uni-marburg.de
German Center for Infection Research (DZIF)
Karola Neubert und Janna Schmidt
Pressestelle
Tel. : +49 6181 1170/1154
presse@dzif.de
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
monday.com Appoints Ben Barnett General Manager of EMEA to Drive Next Phase of Regional Growth9.6.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
monday.com (Nasdaq: MNDY), the AI work platform that turns strategy into execution at scale, today announced Ben Barnett’s appointment to General Manager (GM) of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, marking a major milestone in the company’s global expansion. Ben, who has been with monday.com for five years, brings a decade of experience in senior B2B sales roles at software companies and has overseen significant, sustained growth at monday.com in the UK and Ireland since joining in 2021. In his new position, Ben’s priorities include delivering the monday.com’s EMEA go-to-market strategy, fostering key partnerships, and bolstering its newly announced AI work platform. He is based in London. Ben’s promotion comes as monday.com builds on a period of rapid regional success, with EMEA revenue up 26% year-on-year in 2025. Last year, monday.com expanded its regional EMEA headquarters in Fitzrovia, London, now occupying 80,000 sq ft across three floors where more than 370 employees are based,
Interactive Brokers Launches Commission-Free iShares ETFs from BlackRock through Recurring Investment Feature Across Europe9.6.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global broker, today announced the launch of Commission-Free ETFs within its Recurring Investment feature for eligible individual investors across the European Economic Area. Investors can now access more than 500 commission-free iShares ETFs from BlackRock spanning a broad range of asset classes and strategies, including bonds, equities, themes and sectors. The iShares ETFs available on the IBKR platform give individual investors an accessible, cost-efficient way to build well-diversified portfolios. Since investors pay no trading commissions, more of their capital stays invested and compounding over time, while a broad selection of funds across asset classes makes it straightforward to construct and rebalance portfolios. iShares ETFs are available commission-free through IBKR's Recurring Investments feature, allowing investors to automate their periodic ETF contributions. Clients can select individual ETFs or ETF portfolios, set a cont
Forrester Reveals The Top 10 Highest-Performing Brands In Its 2026 Global Total Experience Score Rankings At Its CX Events9.6.2026 10:30:00 EEST | Press release
According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2026 global Total Experience Score rankings of 375 brands evaluated across Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America in 2025 and 2026, 41% improved their scores while only 3% declined. A compelling total experience — calculated by combining Forrester’s Customer Experience Index (CX Index™), Brand Experience Index (BX Index™), and, for the first time, the new Employee Experience Index (EX Index™) into a unified view of performance — can drive outsized growth for brands. While brand experience and customer experience can each drive revenue independently, the impact multiplies when they are orchestrated together as a unified total experience. In the US, for example, companies delivering a strong total experience see significantly higher returns from retention and enrichment: Automotive firms achieve a 2.6x revenue lift and retailers see a 3.8x increase. The new research finds that CX scores improved in North America, European brands remained mostly st
IQM Announces Novel Quantum Error Correction Approach Toward Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing9.6.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
IQM Quantum Computers, the global leader in superconducting quantum computers, has developed a novel quantum error-correcting code that achieves up to three orders of magnitude lower logical error rates than the surface code, also requiring up to eight times fewer physical qubits. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260609533201/en/ IQM´s breakthrough technology, called barbell codes. Unlike many alternative high-performance quantum error-correction approaches, the new code also maintains a comparatively low hardware complexity, marking a significant advancement toward scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing. Quantum error correction remains one of the defining challenges in the race toward practical quantum computing. Errors introduced by noise must be corrected faster than they accumulate, a requirement that previous approaches demanded either complex hardware or significant performance trade-offs, which IQM's
Longpoint Expands into Germany and the Netherlands, Targeting €400 Million of Infill Logistics Investment9.6.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Longpoint Partners today announced its expansion into Germany and the Netherlands, extending its infill industrial strategy into two of Europe’s most supply-constrained logistics markets. The firm is establishing a presence in high-demand locations, including Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and the Randstad, and plans to deploy approximately €400 million into logistics assets near major population centers and transportation corridors. “We are excited to expand Longpoint’s infill industrial strategy into Germany and the Netherlands,” said Dwight Angelini, Founding and Managing Partner of Longpoint Partners. “These are highly attractive logistics markets with strong fundamentals, limited supply, and a clear need for high-quality light industrial and logistics space. With Gijs and Benedict leading our local efforts, we have the market knowledge, relationships, and discipline to identify attractive opportunities and execute with conviction.” The expansion extends Longpoint’s focus on infill logisti
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom