Medical company ViralClear Pharmaceuticals has signed an agreement with Catalent to work on the development of a potential treatment for Covid-19.
ViralClear, a subsidiary of Connecticut-based BioSig Technologies, is conducting medical trials to study the potential of an oral drug to fight the virus. Since April, ViralClear has been working with New Jersey-based Catalent by using its 453,000-square-foot St. Petersburg facility to manufacture the antiviral for clinical trials.
The St. Pete site is Catalent's primary softgel development and manufacturing facility in North America and can produce 18 billion capsules per year.
In the latest development, Catalent will be responsible for developing two softgel oral dosage forms of ViralClear’s broad-spectrum antiviral agent, merimepodib, according to BioSig's announcement. Officials are working on the solution, which could either be a standalone treatment or in combination with other antiviral agents or immune modulators.
"We don't really have our own big manufacturing facility to produce drugs for clinical and commercial. We rely on contracts with companies to produce merimepodibs," ViralClear COO Steve King told the Tampa Bay Business Journal. "Catalent moved very quickly when we spoke with them at the end of March and we contracted with them."
King did not disclose financial details on the partnership.
Treatment drugs must go through phased studies and receive federal approval before being commercialized. The end goal is to produce an oral antiviral medication that people can access, whether at medical centers, hospitals or pharmacies with a doctor's prescription.
Catalent is also working with Johnson & Johnson and is using its plant in Bloomington, Indiana for commercial manufacturing of J&J's top Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
