TXA127 from Constant Therapeutics Tested in COVID-19 Trials

Constant Therapeutics announced its peptide drug TXA127 will be tested in a series of Phase 2 clinical trials in hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are not in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The trials will be conducted at medical centers in the United States, including the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts; Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna, Italy; and at sites in Israel affiliated with Bar-Ilan University and Technion Israel Institute of Technology. Over 400 patients are expected to be recruited.

"We are very pleased to be collaborating with these worldwide centers of excellence," said Dr. Richard Franklin, CEO of Constant Therapeutics. "There is a strong scientific rationale for the use of TXA127 in the treatment of lung disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, and we are excited about initiating these clinical trials to test that hypothesis."

Previous reports show that the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE2 down-regulates the activity of the enzyme. This leads to a loss of angiotensin-(1-7), the active ingredient in TXA127, and thus a loss in the downstream activity of the peptide. "We hope that by replacing the peptide with TXA127, the protective nature of the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis will be restored," said Dr. Franklin.

In preclinical models of acute lung injury, TXA127 has been shown to reduce fibrosis, stabilize endothelial and epithelial barrier function and reduce inflammation.

TXA127 is a pharmaceutical formulation of the naturally occurring human peptide angiotensin-(1–7). In addition to its specific effects in lung injury, TXA127 has shown therapeutic activity in animal models of chronic stroke, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Limb–Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD), Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (MDC1A), Marfan Syndrome and Epidermolysis Bullosa.