Synairgen Explained

Synairgen PLC
Traded As:AIM: SNG
Industry:Drug discovery
Biotechnology
Location City:Southampton
Location Country:United Kingdom

Synairgen is a University spin-off and public limited company (plc) [1] [2] [3] working in drug discovery and biotechnology. It was founded in 2003 by University of Southampton professors Stephen Holgate,[4] Donna E. Davies and . The company is developing an inhaled formulation of interferon-beta for severe viral respiratory diseases including COVID-19.[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Richard Marsden was appointed chief executive officer in September 2009.[10]

Business activities

Synairgen has developed and is testing an inhaled formulation of interferon beta, a naturally occurring protein which orchestrates the body's antiviral responses. Viruses, including coronaviruses, have evolved mechanisms which suppress natural IFN-β production, thereby helping the virus evade the immune system.[11]

Richard Marsden, the company's chief executive, said one of the main ways viruses evaded the immune system was “to suppress the production of interferon beta”, which plays a significant role in activating the wider immune response and preventing a virus from replicating. “All we’re doing is putting . . . this protein, that everyone makes, back into the battleground, and the battleground that matters is in the lungs,” Marsden said.[12]

COVID-19 drug trials

In March 2020,[13] Synairgen initiated a placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial of SNG001, an inhaled form of interferon beta, in COVID-19 patients in the UK.

In July 2020, Synairgen announced SNG001 lowered the risk of severe COVID-19 in infected patients in a small clinical trial. The details of the study were published in Lancet in November 2020.[14]

The Phase 3 SPRINTER trial (SG018), a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating SNG001 for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, was initiated in January 2021.[15] It completed enrolment of 610 patients in November 2021[16] across 17 countries.  

SNG001 is also being investigated independently as part of the US National Institute of Health's ACTIV-2 (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines) programme [17] to accelerate the development of the most promising COVID-19 treatments.  

The ACTIV-2 study, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and led by the NIAID-funded AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), is testing agents in outpatient adults with documented positive SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptoms of COVID-19.  Synairgen's SNG001 was advanced into Phase 3 in October 2021.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SYNAIRGEN PLC SNG Stock . London Stock Exchange. londonstockexchange.com. Anon. 2020.
  2. Web site: SYNAIRGEN PLC. companieshouse.gov.uk. Companies House. London. Anon. 2016.
  3. Web site: Covid treatment trial described as 'breakthrough'. Justin. Rowlatt. July 20, 2020. bbc.co.uk. BBC News.
  4. Web site: 2021-12-07. Clean Air Champion Professor Sir Stephen Holgate receives Knighthood. 2022-02-03. Clean Air Programme. en-GB.
  5. Web site: - Synairgen. 2022-02-03. synairgen.com.
  6. Web site: 'Major' breakthrough in Covid-19 drug makes UK professors millionaires. Rupert. Neate. July 24, 2020. The Guardian.
  7. Web site: Expert reaction to announcement by Synairgen that their drug SNG001 has had positive results in initial trials on COVID-19 patients. Science Media Centre. Anon. 2020.
  8. Web site: Coronavirus drug hailed as game-changer after trial finds it cuts chances of severe illness. Laura. Donnelly. July 20, 2020. telegraph.co.uk. Daily Telegraph.
  9. Holgate. Stephen. Agusti. Alvar. Strieter. Robert M.. Anderson. Gary P.. Fogel. Robert. Bel. Elisabeth. Martin. Thomas R.. Reiss. Theodore F.. Drug development for airway diseases: looking forward. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 14. 6. 2015. 367–368. 1474-1776. 10.1038/nrd4645. 26000726. 8539798.
  10. Web site: SNG: Synairgen PLC Stock Price Quote - London - Bloomberg. 2022-02-03. bloomberg.com.
  11. Hadjadj. Jérôme. Yatim. Nader. Barnabei. Laura. Corneau. Aurélien. Boussier. Jeremy. Smith. Nikaïa. Péré. Hélène. Charbit. Bruno. Bondet. Vincent. Chenevier-Gobeaux. Camille. Breillat. Paul. 2020-08-07. Impaired type I interferon activity and inflammatory responses in severe COVID-19 patients. Science. 369. 6504. 718–724. EN. 10.1126/science.abc6027. 7402632. 32661059. 2020Sci...369..718H.
  12. News: Neville. Sarah. Asgari. Nikou. 2021-09-27. Antiviral pill: How close are we to a drug to treat Covid?. Financial Times. ft.com. 2022-02-03.
  13. Web site: 2020-03-18. Experimental lung drug to be tested on UK coronavirus patients. 2022-02-03. The Guardian. en.
  14. Monk. Phillip D.. Marsden. Richard J.. Tear. Victoria J.. Brookes. Jody. Batten. Toby N.. Mankowski. Marcin. Gabbay. Felicity J.. Davies. Donna E.. Holgate. Stephen T.. Ho. Ling-Pei. Clark. Tristan. 2021. Safety and efficacy of inhaled nebulised interferon beta-1a (SNG001) for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. English. 9. 2. 196–206. 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30511-7. 2213-2600. 33189161. 7836724.
  15. Synairgen Research Ltd.. 2021-11-03. A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Phase III Trial to Determine the Efficacy and Safety of Inhaled SNG001 for the Treatment of Patients Hospitalised Due to Moderate COVID-19. clinicaltrials.gov.
  16. Web site: 2021-11-12. Synairgen concludes patient enrolment for Covid-19 trial. 2022-02-03. clinicaltrialsarena.com. en-US.
  17. Web site: 2020-07-21. COVID-19 Therapeutics Prioritized for Testing in Clinical Trials. 2022-02-03. nih.gov. National Institutes of Health. EN.
  18. Web site: Synairgen surges as US Covid-19 study advances to final stage trials Shares Magazine. 2022-02-03. sharesmagazine.co.uk.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Synairgen".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.