Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Genomics/Proteomics
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • R&D 100 Awards
  • Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50

Tevogen Bio’s investigational T-cell therapy for COVID-19 wins funding

By Brian Buntz | January 25, 2021

TevogenIn July 2020, the clinical-stage biotech Tevogen Bio (Metuchen, N.J.) announced its plans to use its proprietary T-cell therapy to treat COVID-19.

Now, the company has announced that it has received funding from HMP Partners, a team of physician-investors, to advance what it terms an “investigational curative” therapy.

Tevogen will use the funding to support clinical trials for the therapy.

The company filed an investigational new drug application with the FDA in October 2020.

The IND has has “rapidly moved through Thomas Jefferson University’s review mechanism, which should be completed within the next week or so,” said Dr. Ryan Saadi, Tevogen CEO. “The remaining required information for FDA approval is dependent on Tevogen’s suppliers. Tevogen is actively working on this and expects to have the necessary supplies ready within a month or so.”

The company’s TVGN-489 therapy consists of allogenic lab-grown virus-specific T lymphocytes that it hopes will recognize and destroy COVID-19-infected calls. “Cytotoxic T cells are by definition ‘curative’ and spike protein mutations do not compromise the efficacy — a major concern for the preventative interventions,” Saadi said.

HMP Partners believes the therapy could be effective against COVID-19 variants. “We believe it’s imperative to create a curative treatment that is not expected to be compromised by mutations,” said HMP CEO Dr. Manmohan Patel in a statement. “Unmodified virus-specific T-cells are well established as being effective and safe at treating viral infections, which is why we are supporting Tevogen’s efforts to develop a much-needed COVID-19 cure.”

The company continues to seek government funding to prepare for the therapy’s eventual manufacture.

Tevogen also has an oncology focus, but the pandemic convinced it to focus on fighting COVID-19.

There are few organizations exploring the use of T cells as a COVID-19 therapy. One such company is AlloVir, which has dual headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. and Houston.

While clinical trial data are needed to understand the safety and efficacy of T-cell therapeutics to fight COVID-19 infections, Saadi said the unmodified T cells the company is using have “a great track record of safety and efficacy when used to treat other viral infections.


Filed Under: clinical trials, Drug Discovery, Infectious Disease, Oncology
Tagged With: clinical trials, coronavirus, covid-19, T cells, Tevogen, TVGN-489
 

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Related Articles Read More >

Novartis in the Pharma 50
Novartis announces tislelizumab helped extend median overall survival in first-line advanced esophageal cancer 
Johnson & Johnson Janssen pharmaceutical business in the Pharma 50
Janssen gets positive CHMP opinion for Imbruvica for adults with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia
oncopeptides
Oncopeptides’ Pepaxti wins positive opinion from CHMP for multiple myeloma patients
DNA sequencer
Localizing next-generation sequencing testing for cancer patients

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.

Need Drug Discovery news in a minute?

We Deliver!
Drug Discovery & Development Enewsletters get you caught up on all the mission critical news you need. Sign up today.
Enews Signup
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MASSDEVICE
  • DEVICETALKS
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • MEDICAL TUBING + EXTRUSION
  • MEDTECH 100
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Subscribe to our Free E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Genomics/Proteomics
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • R&D 100 Awards
  • Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50