20 May 2021 - - Canada-based biopharmaceutical company Laurent Pharmaceuticals Inc has completed the enrollment for its placebo-controlled Phase 2 RESOLUTION clinical study of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the company said.

The study, which enrolled 240 patients across Canada and United States, is expected to report top-line results in 3Q21.

The main objective of the RESOLUTION study is to determine whether LAU-7b, once-a-day oral administration for 14 days on top of standard of care, can slow down the disease progression, prevent respiratory failure, and ultimately reduce the mortality rate in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

LAU-7b is a novel oral form of fenretinide, an atypical retinoid that acts on certain cell membrane lipids involved in both viral replication and immune-inflammatory responses.

LAU-7b was initially developed for its potential to trigger the resolution phase of inflammation, a natural mechanism that keeps the inflammatory response under control, without inducing immune-suppression.

More recently, fenretinide was shown to have antiviral activity in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 and synergistic potential when combined with remdesivir, evocative of different mechanism than typical antivirals.

Laurent Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on life-threatening inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

The company's lead drug candidate, LAU-7b, is a unique, patent-protected oral formulation of fenretinide, ideally applicable to a once-a-day low-dose treatment regimen.

Fenretinide is an investigational retinoid that has a well-documented safety profile established in more than 3,000 patients, in various indications.

LAU-7b is currently being evaluated in two Phase 2 clinical trials, in Cystic Fibrosis and COVID-19.