Roche and Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. are now collaborating on the development, manufacture, and distribution of AT-527, an Atea-created investigational oral antiviral for use on COVID-19.
The drug, which is currently in phase two clinical trials for hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19, is expected to begin a phase three clinical trial in the first quarter of 2021 focused on use outside of hospitals. AT-527 works by blocking the viral RNA polymerase enzyme SARS-CoV-2 — the virus which causes COVID-19 — needs to replicate, nullifying its threat.
“The ongoing complexities of COVID-19 require multiple lines of defence. By joining forces with Atea, we hope to offer an additional treatment option for hospitalised and non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients, and to ease the burden on hospitals during a global pandemic.” Bill Anderson, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, said. “In jointly developing and manufacturing AT-527 at scale, we seek to make this treatment option available to as many people around the world as we possibly can.”
Under the terms of their agreement, Atea will distribute AT-527 in the U.S., while Roche will handle manufacturing and distribution abroad. They are banking on the idea that oral, small molecule drugs like this could allow for large-scale manufacturing and broader patient access early on, reducing the overall burden on health systems.
“Roche shares our passion for delivering innovative new medicines to address great unmet medical needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for a novel, oral antiviral to treat this highly infectious and often deadly virus,” Dr. Jean-Pierre Sommadossi, CEO and founder of Atea Pharmaceuticals, said.
Much rides on their goal of pushing AT-527 beyond hospital boundaries. If approved for that use, it would become the first novel oral antiviral usable by COVID-19 patients who are not hospitalized. That said, AT-527 is not currently licensed or approved for any indication anywhere in the world.