The firm's patented drug delivery technology changes the way active pharmaceutical ingredients enter a patient's bloodstream
Lexaria Bioscience Corp (OTCMKTS:LXRP) () told investors it has filed a new patent in the US concerning the use of its DehydraTECH(TM) technology to deliver antiviral drugs, which could help in the global fight against coronavirus (COVID-19).
"Lexaria's proprietary drug delivery platform has already proven its effectiveness in the oral delivery of other lipophilic drugs such as nicotine, cannabinoids, and more, with multi-fold increases in both the rate and extent of bioabsorption," noted John Docherty, the president of the biotech company in a statement.
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"We hypothesize that, once detailed testing begins, DehydraTECH will evidence improvements in the quantity and rapidity with which certain antiviral drugs are able to reach the human bloodstream after oral delivery. This has the potential to make a real contribution in the fight against COVID-19," Docherty added.
The firm's patented drug delivery technology changes the way active pharmaceutical ingredients (API's) enter a patient's bloodstream, which can lower overall dosing and mean higher effectiveness for lipophilic active molecules.
Currently, many of the most effective antiviral drugs require administration by needle injection, which is an expensive delivery method, noted Lexaria.
The company believes that antivirals could be inexpensively processed with Lexaria's DehydraTECH to improve the speed and extent with which they reach the bloodstream, whether administered alone or in combination with anti-inflammatory agents that are often required to improve outcomes in virally infected patients.
It suggests that if drugs such as rimantadine were given soon after influenza infection prior to a cytokine storm inflammatory response, then many of the more serious diseases such as acute respiratory distress and pneumonia - which are the most dangerous symptoms of COVID-19 - may be avoidable.
Lexaria said its technology could potentially be used to improve treatment options for viral infectious diseases including COVID-19, MERS, SARS, influenza, herpes, hepatitis and AIDS.
The group said it will file additional patent protection in other international markets, related to the use of DehydraTECH for delivery of antiviral drugs.
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