$LXRP --- PRESS RELEASE
Lexaria Expands COVID-19 Drug Research Program Utilizing Proprietary DehydraTECH
Remdesivir is one of several drugs to be evaluated
Kelowna, British Columbia – December 22, 2020 – Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (OTCQX: LXRP) (CSE: LXX) (the “Company” or “Lexaria”), a global innovator in drug delivery platforms, today announced that it has initiated the next phase of its antiviral drug research program following successful results from a recent animal study announced on December 1, 2020.
The recent animal study demonstrated that DehydraTECH(TM) technology significantly improved drug delivery in animals of representative drugs from two classes of antiviral therapies (a Protease Inhibitor and a Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor) under investigation against SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and already in use against HIV/AIDS.
Lexaria has commissioned the next phase of follow-on studies designed to evaluate the potential of its DehydraTECH technology to enhance the delivery and efficacy of additional antiviral drugs including remdesivir (a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor or “NtRTI”); as well as three additional drugs known to target the main protease associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The studies will include Lexaria’s proprietary DehydraTECH-enabled formulations (the “Formulations”) administered via oral gavage to male Sprague-Dawley rats to quantify and compare total drug delivery into the rodent bloodstream to control formulations. These studies will be conducted by a third-party pharmacokinetic testing laboratory in Pennsylvania.
A second study will be undertaken using the services of a separate third-party laboratory to evaluate the relative antiviral activity of certain Formulations. In this separate investigation, Lexaria plans to observe the performance of the Formulations in an established cell culture model of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells in an effort to kill the virus. This will be the first time one of Lexaria’s third-party contracted laboratories will work with live SARS-CoV-2 virus in conjunction with Lexaria’s proprietary DehydraTECH. If the outcome is positive, Lexaria expects to proceed to larger in vivo efficacy testing in animals thereafter to determine if DehydraTECH-enabled formulation offers performance enhancements when given orally.
“With these additional antiviral drug studies, we are aggressively expanding and implementing the first of our strategic initiatives for 2021,” said Chris Bunka, Chief Executive Officer of Lexaria. “After our recent initial success in animals demonstrating DehydraTECH’s ability to enhance drug delivery of two other antiviral drugs, we are excited to work with remdesivir, one of the world’s leading drugs currently in use for treatment of COVID-19, to learn whether DehydraTECH may also enhance drug delivery characteristics of NtRTI’s.”
In addition, Lexaria expects to announce its 2021 R&D plans within the next 90 days. If executed as planned, the expanded R&D plans will result in the largest applied R&D program in the Company’s history. Chris Bunka, CEO, is responsible for the accuracy of this news. The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its products have the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 pandemic (or SARS-CoV2 or any strain of Coronavirus or any other virally induced diseases at this time.
About Remdesivir
Remdesivir (brand name Veklury) is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences and also available commercially for research purposes from other commercial suppliers, that is customarily used via injection. It received FDA-approval for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the US on October 22, 2020 and has received conditional temporary use approval to treat COVID-19 in approximately 50 countries. Remdesivir has shown broad-spectrum antiviral activity against SARS-CoV2, and preclinically against Ebola and other viral pathogens.*
*https://www.gilead.com/news-and-press/press-room/press-releases/2020/10/us-food-and-drug-administration-approves-gileads-antiviral-veklury-remdesivir-for-treatment-of-covid19
About Lexaria
Lexaria Bioscience Corp.’s (OTCQX: LXRP, CSE: LXX) proprietary drug delivery technology, DehydraTECH™, improves the way active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) enter the bloodstream by promoting healthier oral ingestion methods and increasing the effectiveness of fat-soluble active molecules, thereby lowering overall dosing. The Company’s technology can be applied to many different ingestible product formats, including foods, beverages, oral suspensions, tablets, and capsules. DehydraTECH has repeatedly demonstrated since 2016 with cannabinoids and nicotine the ability to increase bio-absorption by up to 5-10x, reduce time of onset from 1 - 2 hours to minutes, and mask unwanted tastes; and is planned to be further evaluated for orally administered bioactive molecules, including anti-virals, cannabinoids, vitamins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and nicotine. Lexaria has licensed DehydraTECH to multiple companies including a world-leading tobacco producer for the development of smokeless, oral-based nicotine products and for use in industries that produce cannabinoid beverages, edibles, and oral products. Lexaria operates a licensed in-house research laboratory and holds a robust intellectual property portfolio with 18 patents granted and approximately 60 patents pending worldwide.
For more information, please visit www.lexariabioscience.com
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