On Oct. 9, 2020, Rigel Pharma announced enrollment of the first patients in a multicenter, Phase 2 trial to evaluate the safety of fostamatinib, Rigel’s oral spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitor, for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

The study was sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in collaboration with Inovaﾮ Health System. Fostamatinib, marketed in the U.S. as TAVALISSEﾮ (fostamatinib disodium hexahydrate) tablets, is approved in the U.S. and Europe as a treatment for adult chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).