A new spin out from the University of California, Davis called InVixa announced that it has acquired the rights to UC Davis intellectual property related to delivery of statins to the lung for the treatment of viral respiratory infections, including COVID-19. InVixa said that it expects to select a lead candidate following pre-clinical studies early this year and plans to initiate its first clinical trial by the end of 2021.
According to the company web site, InVixa and a sister company called InStatin were spun out from the University in May 2020. While InVixa will focus on development of inhaled statins for the treatment of pulmonary infections, InStatin will focus on the development of inhaled statin formulations for the treatment of asthma and COPD.
InVixa co-founder and Chief Medical Officer Amir A. Zeki, a faculty member at UC Davis, commented, “InVixa is developing inhaled statin therapies that could treat severe lung disease caused by COVID-19. Our initial focus will be to treat hospitalized patients to prevent progression to respiratory failure using our novel inhaled statin formulation. There is also longer-term potential to develop treatments for those with mild symptoms in the outpatient setting, as we currently do for influenza. We’re delighted to have a license with UC Davis given their commitment to fostering new discoveries and innovation, their ongoing support as a leading academic institution, and their dedication to improving health in our society particularly in the wake of this global pandemic.”
UC Davis Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences and CEO David Lubarsky said, “This is another excellent example of leveraging UC Davis Health’s scientific resources and entrepreneurial spirit to explore solutions for crucial health care needs. I applaud Dr. Zeki and his team for pursuing novel approaches based on their direct clinical experiences and research. There is a tremendous need to help patients facing respiratory failure, which has been the leading cause of mortality for patients with COVID-19.”
Read the InVixa press release.
