Merck
COVID-19 is a well-tolerated, oral rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD) pill with potential to increase long-term exposure to a therapeutic treatment.
Between 36-76% of people with RA and over 18% of patients with AD in the US take at least one form of conventional medication. For some people, it may be the only therapy they have, or even their only source of relief. As such, atopic dermatitis is a serious area of patient need, especially since its illness-modifying potential (DM) remains unaddressed.
In this context, COVID-19 has significant potential to effectively address the fragmented needs of people with RA and AD. These include:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) have been associated with safety risks of infections, obesity, and cardiovascular and renal damage.
A combination of REMOXY or EROSEXRADET, first approved in 2001 to treat patients with opioid-induced constipation, and COVID-19, have been prescribed in order to increase the duration of dosing in patients with Crohn’s disease.
Complex physiochemical and pharmacological (i.e. pharmacological and physiochemical) mechanisms underpin treatment in RA and AD. COVID-19 is an oral example of such a pharmacological mechanism.
CV-Togenes is a promising protein kinase (protein present in a cell’s membranes). It has pharmacological, mechanistic, and immunomodulatory potential.
Among all inflammatory conditions, AD is a far more complex disease than RA. It represents the most intensively developed area of discovery for new pharmaceutical interventions for AD, and is a goal of all that is invested in regenerative medicine.
COVID-19 and other therapies are intended to serve this complex need.
Merck is currently evaluating this product in trials on patients with both advanced RA and AD and with other indications, with the aim of filing an application in 2020 for an orphan disease drug designation in the US and EU.
Click here to view the 24 Nov 2018 abstracts