BioPorto in partnership awarded US$400K to test if Iloprost can improve coronavirus survival rates

BioPorto A/S (CPH:BIOPOR) has noted that Innovation Fund Denmark has awarded DKK 3 million (US$402,179) to test if the drug Iloprost can improve survival rates in SARS-Co-V2 infected patients in need of respiratory treatment. The 12-month study will be conducted in a partnership between leading hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark and the Danish diagnostics company, according to a statement Thursday. More than half of all coronavirus patients on life support and in intensive care will not survive the disease (COVID-19). The primary cause of mortality is Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).  READ: BioPorto says proprietary NGAL test helps boost 1Q revenue by double-digits Research by Professor Pär I Johansson from the Clinical Immunology Department at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen said that ARDS damages the capillaries, leading to reduced blood flow and oxygen deprivation to central organs. A team of Danish researchers has discovered that treatment with Iloprost (prostacyclin) – a drug used to treat certain kinds of pulmonary arterial hypertension – can potentially reduce damage to the capillaries and counteract ARDS to increase survival rates in COVID-19 patients.  The research group has received the money to finance the 12-month randomized pilot study called COMBAT COVID-19 with patients suffering ARDS who are receiving respiratory therapy. The intention of the study is to compare the efficacy of Iloprost to placebo in a group of 80 patients. The biomarker thrombomodulin, a marker of capillary damage, will be used to identify and enroll patients with severe capillary injury into the study. BioPorto has developed a thrombomodulin test. The study will be conducted in a cooperative arrangement between BioPorto and the Clinical Immunology Department and the intensive care units at Rigshospitalet, the Hospital of North Zealand, Bispebjerg Hospital, Herlev Hospital and Hvidovre hospital – all from the Capital Region of Denmark. In other COVID-19-related news, BioPorto separately is moving ahead with another Danish partner on co-development of a rapid test to detect the deadly virus. BioPorto and the University of Southern Denmark are working on a test that will leverage the company’s patented Generic Rapid Assay Device (gRAD) technology to deliver results in less than 10 minutes. If successful, a test could be available in the second half of the year. Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham