Once COVID-19 Candidate, Veru's Sabizabulin Shows Encouraging Action In Animal Studies Against Poxvirus

Veru Inc VERU announced results from a preclinical in vitro study evaluating the effects of sabizabulin against prototypical poxvirus, vaccinia virus.
Poxvirus infections typically result in lesions, skin nodules, or disseminated rash formation.
The data demonstrated that sabizabulin prevented both the release of poxvirus from infected cells and the spread of poxvirus to healthy cells.
Treatment of BSC40 cells (African green monkey kidney cells) with different concentrations of sabizabulin before inoculation with vaccinia virus demonstrated a drug dose-dependent inhibition of infectious extracellular enveloped virus (EEV) release (R2 value=0.9573) with an inhibition concentration of 50% and 90% of 24.3nM and 37.8nM concentrations of sabizabulin, respectively.
BSC40 cells were treated with different concentrations of sabizabulin before inoculation with vaccinia virus at a low multiplicity of infection to assess the ability of sabizabulin to slow or stop vaccinia virus cell-to-cell spread.
Drug dose-dependent inhibition of the cell-to-cell spread of vaccinia virus was observed (R2=0.9464) with an inhibition concentration of 50% and 90% at 15.7nM and 27nM concentrations of sabizabulin, respectively.
In March, the FDA declined Veru's request for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for sabizabulin to treat hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients.
Price Action: VERU shares are up 0.50% at $1.00 on the last check Tuesday.