Vir and Alnylam Go Ahead with COVID-19 Gene Silencing Therapy
Vir Biotechnology (VIR) announced a new COVID-19 drug candidate, VIR-2703. The company is collaborating with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) for developing this treatment which is an inhalable RNAi therapeutic which works by targeting the SARS-CoV-2 genome for potentially treating and/or preventing the respiratory illness. Both companies are now planning to meet with the FDA for a probable accelerate pathway for progressing to clinical trials stage.
The collaboration also seeks to identify up to three additional drug candidates for treating COVID-19 as well