Rhizen Pharmaceuticals Announces US FDA Acceptance of its IND Application for RP7214 in SARS-CoV-2 Infection; Phase 1 Clinical Trial of RP7214 Set to Begin Early December 2020
1.12.2020 18:01:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Rhizen Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage oncology-focussed biopharmaceutical company, today announced the approval of its Investigational New Drug (IND) application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to study its oral DHODH inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The company announced that initial study shall evaluate single ascending doses of RP7214 in healthy volunteers and that dosing is expected to commence in early December 2020. The company also announces positive feedback from the FDA during its pre-IND discussion on its plans to follow-up this study with a multiple-ascending dose study in Covid-19 patients.
Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHOHD) is a key enzyme involved in pyrimidine biosynthesis in the cell. RP7214 is potentially a best-in-class selective DHODH inhibitor that has shown potent inhibition of Covid-19 viral replication. RP7214 has also been studied extensively across multiple inflammation models where it has demonstrated excellent anti-inflammatory activity. Further, the IND-enabling preclinical studies have shown RP7214 to be orally available, safe and tolerable with predictable dose-linear pharmacokinetics. The host-based mechanism of RP7214 could allow complementary combinations with direct acting anti-viral drugs, while the broad anti-inflammatory action could potentially mitigate the cytokine mediated inflammatory symptoms typically seen in SARS-CoV-2 & other viral infections.
Swaroop Vakkalanka, President & CEO of Rhizen Pharmaceuticals said “There is an exceptional need for oral antiviral drugs that are suitable for Covid-19 treatment across all hospital and out-patient settings. We are pleased to advance RP7214 into a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of Covid-19 under a US FDA IND. RP7214 has a unique preclinical profile, high oral bioavailability, robust anti-viral potency and broad anti-inflammatory role, that we expect will translate in the clinic and support its eventual development as a potential treatment for Covid-19”.
About Rhizen Pharmaceuticals S.A.:
Rhizen Pharmaceuticals is an innovative, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel onco-therapeutics. Since its establishment in 2008, Rhizen has created a diverse pipeline of proprietary drug candidates targeting several cancers and immune associated cellular pathways. Rhizen is headquartered in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. For additional information, please visit www.rhizen.com
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/20201201005815/en/
Contact information
Samyukta Bhagwati
Manager, Corporate Affairs & Communications
Rhizen Pharmaceuticals S.A.
Telephone: +41 32 580 0113
Email: corpcomm@rhizen.com
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
New Summer Program from Corona Invites the World to Experience “This Is Living”11.5.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Today, Corona, the world’s most valuable beer brand*, unveils “Living is Calling” – a new global call to action inviting consumers to step outside and live life to the fullest this summer. As a powerful extension of its “This Is Living” platform, the new campaign invites the world to put living first through a partnership with Tripadvisor featuring over 300,000 experiences, and a new global film. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511429135/en/ “For the past 100 years, Corona has inspired the world to come outside and feel more moments of ‘This Is Living,’ and we believe the next chapter is about helping people take action and embrace the outdoors,” said Clarissa Pantoja, Global Vice President of Corona. “‘Living is Calling’ is our worldwide call to action, and we’re pairing it with our biggest program ever to enable experiences outside. We’re empowering consumers to live this summer and reconnect with what tr
Braskem Celebrates Naming of Beautiful Future and Blooming Future, Next‑Generation Tankers for Cleaner Global Trade11.5.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Braskem (B3: BRKM3, BRKM5, and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK), the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas and global leader in the production of biopolymers on an industrial scale announces today that Braskem Trading & Shipping (BT&S) has reached a major milestone in its fleet modernization and sustainability journey with the naming of Beautiful Future and Blooming Future, next‑generation chemical and product oil tankers designed to move essential raw materials more efficiently and with a significantly lower environmental footprint. Both vessels were formally named at a ceremony in China on May 8. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511112306/en/ Beautiful Future Beautiful Future and Blooming Future are LR1 (Long Range 1) vessels that will transport naphtha, which is an essential building block used to produce everyday items such as medical supplies, packaging, and household goods, on long‑distance rout
Owl Labs partners with Westcoast to expand access to seamless hybrid meeting experiences in the UK and Ireland11.5.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Owl Labs, a global leader in AI-powered, 360-degree video conferencing solutions, today announced a new UK and Ireland distribution partnership with Westcoast Limited, one of the country’s largest and most trusted IT distributors. The agreement will see Westcoast distribute the full range of Owl Labs’ award-winning Meeting Owl and Owl Bar products across the UK and Ireland, providing greater choice, availability, and dedicated support for resellers and end customers navigating the demands of hybrid work. The partnership aims to address the technical setup challenges that plague meetings across the UK. Owl Labs’ recent State of Hybrid Work report found that nearly 8 in 10 workers (79%) lose time in meetings due to technical difficulties such as connecting to a meeting or setting up a camera. By making Owl Labs’ solutions simpler to source, deploy and support, the Westcoast partnership helps cut the ‘meeting tax’, reducing set‑up friction and getting meetings started on time. The announc
Kiabi Selects Navan to Centralise Global Travel Program11.5.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN), the global AI-powered business travel and expense platform, today announced it has been selected by Kiabi, the French multinational fashion retailer, to consolidate its global travel with one unified platform. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511547434/en/ Fashion retailer targets high employee adoption and efficiency with AI-powered travel platform To support its workforce of nearly 10,000 “Kiabers,” the retailer required a solution capable of providing an easy-to-use travel platform. Navan was selected due to its intuitive AI-powered interface and ability to integrate with Kiabi’s travel policies directly in-app. “Managing travel was becoming an administrative burden that slowed our teams down,” said Denise Maurice, Indirect Procurement Director at Kiabi. “We wanted to give our ‘Kiabers’ the freedom to book their own trips without getting bogged down in manual approvals. Navan gives t
Fujirebio Announces CE Marking of the Fully Automated Lumipulse® G pTau 217 Plasma Assay11.5.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
H.U. Group Holdings Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Fujirebio today announced that Fujirebio Europe N.V. has obtained a CE certificate of the Lumipulse G pTau 217 Plasma assay under the Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDR). This CLEIA (chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay) test allows for the quantitative measurement of Tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 (pTau 217) in human plasma (K2EDTA). “With Lumipulse G NfL Blood and Lumipulse G pTau 217 Plasma now CE‑marked on our LUMIPULSE G platform, we are advancing a new era of neurology diagnostics—one where blood‑based biomarkers enable earlier, broader, and more accessible insights into Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration.” said Christiaan De Wilde, CEO at Fujirebio Europe N.V. “By delivering fully automated and scalable solutions, we are helping clinicians move decisively toward more timely and informed decision‑making. This milestone underscores our long‑term vision to reimagine the diagnostic
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