On May 14, 2020 Abivax announced that ABX464 inhibited replication of SARS-CoV-2 in an in vitro reconstituted human respiratory epithelium model, as assessed by Transepithelial electrical resistance and RTqPCR. ABX464 been shown to be an effective drug candidate in a severe inflammatory disease, ulcerative colitis. miR-124 specific up regulation by ABX464 can explain the triple effect of the drug candidate on inhibiting viral replication, down-regulation of cytokines that induce inflammation and tissue repair.

The breakthrough scientific data Abivax is reporting today make ABX464 a unique potential treatment for COVID-19 patients. Given the current pandemic and patient’s excessive inflammatory response to viral replication as the primary cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death of COVID-19 patients, ABX464 with its convenient oral administration and its potential unique triple mode of action, will be urgently tested in a European clinical trial as a potential new treatment to:

• Prevent and reduce inflammation, as already demonstrated in another severe inflammatory disease, ulcerative colitis. Indeed, ABX464 has been shown to upregulate miR-124^[2], a “natural brake” of inflammation. miR-124 down-regulates the multiple chemo- and cytokines involved in the COVID-19 cytokine storm, including TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, G-CSF, IL-6, MCP-1 and IL-17.
• Reduce viral replication, mediated by RNA quality control and miR-124 induced inhibition of dynamin 2, a key component necessary for viral replication.
• Promote tissue repair

Antiviral experiments were performed at the International Research Center specialized in infectiology at Claude-Bernard-Lyon-1 University, VirPath laboratory.

Abivax, a clinical stage biotechnology company, is mobilizing the body’s natural immune machinery to treat patients with autoimmune diseases, viral infections, and cancer. Abivax is listed on Euronext compartment B. Based in Paris and Montpellier, Abivax has two drug candidates in clinical development, ABX464 to treat severe inflammatory diseases, and ABX196 to treat hepatocellular carcinoma.