When the coronavirus pandemic shook up Ansun Biopharma Inc.’s clinical-trial plans, company leaders knew they had to change course. San Diego-based Ansun, which has raised $185 million in venture capital since 2018, develops drugs for viral respiratory diseases. One medicine it is testing in late-stage clinical trials could help hospitalized adults with weakened immune systems who have parainfluenza infections, which cause respiratory illnesses.

A specialty vaccine company is seeking grant funding to ramp up production of a potential inoculation against Covid-19 from its Scottish laboratory. French-headquartered Valneva is in discussions with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) after partnering with US-listed Dynavax to develop a vaccine candidate in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The project is currently at the pre-clinical stage, but is expected to reach clinical trials before the end of the year.

Back injuries are no joke. Even minor muscle strains can inhibit activities for some time. More serious injuries create greater challenges and often require more stringent treatments, which is where companies like VIVEX Biologics play a significant role. At the end of April, VIVEX published clinical data assessing VIA Disc as a potential treatment for symptomatic degenerative disc disease. VIVEX’s VIA Disc is a non-surgical, injectable treatment option for patients suffering from chronic lower back pain resulting from DDD. Degenerative disc disease is the most common cause of chronic lower back pain in adults, which is the leading cause of disability across the globe, with a cost of about $87.6 billion. There are few treatment options for DDD, with most patients having to use opioids to manage the pain or surgery for patients who cannot manage their disease with medication.

After presenting initial data from Cohorts 1 and 2 of the phase 1 OPTIC trial in 2019, Cohort 3 results announced by Adverum Biotechnologies are adding to the excitement around ADVM-022 and the prospect of gene therapy in ophthalmology.

San Diego-based Ansun Biopharma used its influenza research data to dive into attempts to develop a treatment for COVID-19 using an investigational nebulized enzyme asset as a potential treatment for severely infected patients.

Use of the hepatocyte growth factor mimetic ANG-3777 showed long-term improvement in kidney function in patients who underwent transplantation but had signs of possible kidney injury after transplant. “The two leading contributors to early graft failure are acute rejection and acute kidney injury (AKI) occurring during the transplantation process. While rejection can be managed utilizing immunosuppressant therapy, no therapies currently exist for [delayed graft function] DGF-associated AKI,” Jonathan S. Bromberg, MD, PhD, professor of surgery and microbiology and immunology and vice chair for research at the University of Maryland, and colleagues wrote.

Motus GI secured a U.S. patent for its Pure-Vu System’s sensing technology and suction control features. Three quick points: 1. Motus GI’s flagship Pure-Vu System can be integrated with standard and slim colonoscopes, a capability protected under the new patent.