On Feb. 18, 2020, Innovation Pharma announced the Company was exploring its lead defensin mimetic drug candidate, Brilacidin, as a potential novel coronavirus treatment. Brilacidin already had demonstrated broad and robust antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties in multiple FDA clinical trials.

Brilacidin and other defensin mimetics similar in structure to Brilacidin were tested against enveloped viruses with moderate activity noted from the outset. To date, Brilacidin had not been tested specifically against Coronavirus.