May 14, 2020Management

CytoDyn's Drug Candidate for COVID-19 'Leronlimab', Contract Manufactured at AGC, Progressing with Clinical Trials in the US

AGC (Headquarters: Tokyo; President: Takuya Shimamura) has announced that the US FDA has approved Phase 2b/3 clinical trials of Leronlimab, a drug candidate for new coronavirus developed by US-based CytoDyn. AGC Biologics (Headquarters: US), a CDMO*1 subsidiary of AGC, contract manufactures the biopharmaceutical ingredient of this drug candidate.
Leronlimab, being developed by CytoDyn, is a therapeutic drug targeted at HIV and breast cancer among other indications. It is believed that administering Leronlimab to COVID-19 patients could be effective in suppressing cytokine storms*2. Clinical trials were approved based on preliminary results demonstrated in its administration to severely ill patients with COVID-19 under emergency IND in the United States.

The AGC Group is committed to helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 and end this pandemic by playing a role in the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs for pharmaceutical companies.

Notes:
*1 CDMO: Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization. A company which is contracted or acts on behalf of another company to handle product manufacturing as well as the development manufacturing methods.
*2 Cytokine storm: A condition in which an infectious disease or the like causes an abnormal increase in blood cytokine, leading to multiple organ failure.

REFERENCE

■ About CytoDyn

CytoDyn is a biotechnology company engaged in developing innovative therapies that can be applied to multiple indications. 'Leronlimab', developed by the company, belongs to a new class of therapeutic agents known as viral entry inhibitors, and is a monoclonal antibody aimed at treating various diseases such as HIV. Visit the URL below for more details.
URL:https://www.cytodyn.com/
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Kazumi Tamaki, General Manager, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Division
AGC Inc.
Contact: Yuki Kitano
TEL: +81-3-3218-5603
E-mail: info-pr@agc.com