Kinarus Therapeutics AG announced preclinical data supporting the potential effectiveness of its lead clinical candidate, KIN001, as an oral treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Kinarus has developed a protocol for a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with IPF in consultation with key experts, including PD Dr. Katrin Hostettler, Senior Physician in Pulmonology, at the University Hospital of Basel. In a mouse model of lung injury, KIN001 significantly reduced lung weights and tissue fibrosis score vs.

controls. KIN001 was more effective in direct comparison to pirfenidone, a marketed IPF therapy. The combination of KIN001 with pirfenidone demonstrated greater reduction in lung fibrosis, indicating the potential for additional benefit of KIN001 in combination with the current standard of care.

In order to understand the mechanisms of action of KIN001, global gene expression changes in lung tissue were measured by the RNAseq method. KIN001 significantly reduced the upregulation of multiple key inflammatory cytokines and chemokines implicated in the pathology of lung fibrosis. The Phase 2 study in IPF will be a 52-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the effect of oral KIN001 on Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) in 80 patients with IPF.

This study will enroll patients on current standard of care including Ofev and Esbriet. Patients not currently treated with either drug will also be included since a substantial number of patients end treatment with these two drugs due to safety concerns. Kinarus is currently conducting a Phase 2 trial of KIN001 to treat ambulatory COVID-19 patients (“KINFAST”) with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, which is actively recruiting in Switzerland and Germany.

The primary endpoint of the study is the reduction in the severity and duration of Covid-19 symptoms.