bemcentinib | COVID-19

BerGenBio: bemcentinib phase II trial in COVID-19

bemcentinib in COVID-19

COVID-19 is the clinical disease manifested as a result of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection which is responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic. Preclinical data suggest that bemcentinib is potentially useful for the treatment of early SARS-CoV-2 infection.

There are currently no approved medical treatments for, or vaccines against, COVID-19.

Bemcentinib’s applicability to treat COVID-19 patients

Bemcentinib has been reported to exhibit potent anti-viral activity in preclinical models against several enveloped viruses, including Ebola and Zika virus. Recent data have expanded this to SARS-CoV-2

• Bemcentinib is a small molecule inhibitor that targets a cell-surface protein called AXL, which is one of several cell surface receptors used by enveloped viruses to enter cells
• Bemcentinib has been seen to inhibit virus entry into cells, suggesting it is potentially useful for the treatment of early SARS-CoV-2 infection
• Bemcentinib prevents inhibition of Type I Interferon, which is the cell’s anti-viral defence mechanism, again suggesting valuable utility in treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection