Cocrystal Pharma: CC-42344 inhibits activity in ighly pathogenic avian flu

Cocrystal Pharma novel, broad-spectrum antiviral CC-42344 inhibits activity in the highly pathogenic avian influenza A or H5N1 PB2 protein recently identified in infected dairy cattle, according to recently completed in vitro studies. CC-42344 is a new class of antiviral drugs designed to block essential steps in the replication and transcription of the influenza A virus. Cocrystal is conducting an influenza A Phase 2a clinical study with orally administered CC-42344 and expects to report topline results in the second half of 2024. This study is evaluating the safety, tolerability, antiviral and clinical benefits in influenza A infected subjects. In late 2022 Cocrystal reported favorable safety and tolerability results from a Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers. Cocrystal demonstrated the potential efficacy of CC-42344 against the new avian flu strain with the recently published genome sequence for H5N1. Using its proprietary structure-based platform, Cocrystal created a high-resolution crystal structure of this avian PB2 protein and confirmed that CC-42344 binds to its highly conserved PB2 region. The in vitro data were generated testing CC-42344 against the avian H5N1 PB2 protein and further support CC-42344’s activity similar to that of Cocrystal’s data with pandemic and seasonal influenza A.