Clinical trial launched to test experimental intranasal spray against respiratory viruses

The study is being conducted in collaboration with ENA Respiratory, the manufacturer of the novel therapy. The randomized double-blind Phase 2 trial aims to enroll 1,100 healthy adults ages 18 to 45 years who are at increased risk of upper respiratory virus infections due to exposure to young children or frequent close contact with others. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the intranasal spray, called INNA-051, or a placebo spray to determine if INNA-051 is safe and works better than the placebo at boosting the immune response and preventing illness.

A non-vaccine, intranasal spray, INNA-051 works as a prophylactic drug designed to be taken weekly during cold and flu season. It is a TLR2/6 agonist, which works by priming the immune system's first line of defense in an effort to accelerate the clearance of harmful germs from nasal passages before viruses can get a foothold in the body and cause an infection. INNA-051 is virus-agnostic, meaning that it can potentially help protect against a wide array of viruses, and acts in the nasal passages, the site of initial replication of common respiratory viruses, such as the flu, colds, and COVID-19. The study will investigate whether INNA-051 can reduce the severity or likelihood of illness during respiratory virus season.

Source:

University of Maryland School of Medicine