Israeli Drug Takes Aim at Life-threatening COVID-19 Cases

MesenCure may significantly decrease the overall number of severe corona patients and those in need of ventilation.

By TPS

Bonus BioGroup, an Israeli company the specializes in cell-based therapies and tissue-engineered products for bone regeneration, published positive results achieved by the unique drug product MesenCure, a therapy specifically developed for the life-threatening acute respiratory distress in coronavirus (COVID-19) patients and pneumonia

In an experiment conducted at Rambam Hospital, a significant improvement was achieved in the condition of severe corona patients whose blood oxygen content reached a very low level of 80%.

During the clinical trial for the treatment of respiratory distress with MesenCure, three doses of the drug product were administered intravenously to the treatment group of some 60 patients. Parameters that were followed during the trial period included respiratory functions, inflammatory parameters that demonstrate the attenuation of the cytokine storm characteristic by COVID-19 disease, general parameters indicative of the disease course, as well as the shortening of the hospitalization period and patient survival.

The clinical trial protocol is based, among others, on preclinical studies performed on a lethal pneumonia animal model treated with MesenCure that demonstrated a successful recovery of the animals and their rescue from death. A significant improvement in the animals’ health was observed following the administration of the second out of a total of three MesenCure doses evidenced in the improvement in all tested clinical parameters and survival.

MesenCure’s efficacy stems from the primed mesenchymal stromal cells that comprise the drug product, and which are attained by a unique combination of biological and physical growth conditions while shortening the cells’ manufacturing time and maintaining their safety.

As a result of the repeated coronavirus waves in several countries and the failure of health systems in countries to treat the increasing numbers of COVID-19 and pneumonia patients, MesenCure may significantly decrease the overall numbers of severe patients and patients in need of ventilation.

Bonus BioGroup’s MesenCure is designed to treat respiratory infections, whether the source of the infection is the coronavirus or any other virus, a bacterium, or exposure to other contaminants, and can be used to treat a wide range of indications, including lower respiratory tract infections as well as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which together, represent a global market which by 2026 is expected to exceed US$ 43 billion per year, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bonus BioGroup applied in the development of MesenCure a variety of unique technologies and knowledge, some of which are currently in development by the Company, and some of which are part of the Company’s rich intellectual property, which includes fourteen approved patents and eighteen patent applications, in many countries around the world.