Dublin firm SME Exvastat Ltd is to lead one of eight large-scale coronavirus research projects that were this week selected for funding. Along with partners in France, the Netherlands and Canada, Exvastat is developing a treatment for COVID-19 patients with lung inflammation.
The eight projects will receive a total of €117 million in funding, of which €72 million is coming from Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme.
Speeding up development of coronavirus diagnostics and treatments
EU Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said: "With this funding from Horizon 2020 and our industry and other partners, we are speeding up the development of coronavirus diagnostics and treatments, essential tools that we need to tackle the global emergency."
On March 3, 2020, the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) supported through the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, unveiled a special fast-track call for the 'Development of therapeutics and diagnostics combatting coronavirus infections' with an EU contribution of €45 million, which was subsequently increased to €72 million.
As part of the IMI public-private partnership, the pharmaceutical industry, IMI Associated Partners and other organisations will contribute an additional €45 million, bringing the total funding to €117 million.
On May 12, 2020, following the independent evaluation of proposals, it was announced that eight projects were shortlisted for funding.
These projects involve researchers from 94 organisations across Europe, including universities, research organisations, companies, and public bodies. small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly well represented in the successful proposals, accounting for more than 20% of the participants and 17% of the budget.
The projects form part of the European Commission’s wider response to the coronavirus outbreak. Of the eight projects, five focus on diagnostics and three on treatments.
- Diagnostic tests: the five projects on diagnostics aim to develop devices that can be used anywhere and will deliver results very quickly, enabling front-line health workers to make the diagnosis more quickly and more accurately, which will in turn reduce the risk of further spread of the virus.
- New treatments: the three projects on therapies address primarily the current COVID-19 outbreak, but also foresee efforts to prepare for future coronavirus outbreaks.
Further information on chosen project
Impentri: Development of Impentri, an intravenous imatinib formulation for COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
Description: To run a randomised, double-blind clinical trial to properly test the efficacy and safety of a generic drug - imatinib - as a treatment for COVID-19 patients with lung inflammation.
Lead Institution: Exvastat (Ireland)
Five partners from: France; Ireland; Netherlands; Canada.