MyMD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it intends to initiate dosing for a Phase 2 trial of MYMD-1’s function in delaying aging early in the fourth quarter of 2021. Interim efficacy analysis from this study is expected in the first quarter of 2022. The primary goal of this Phase 2 double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial is to achieve a reduction in the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) in the blood. TNF-a is the protein in the body that causes inflammation and helps activate the process of aging. MYMD-1’s ease of oral dosing is a differentiator compared to currently available TNF-a blockers, all of which require delivery by injection or infusion. No approved TNF inhibitor has ever been dosed orally. The second and third key differentiators are selectivity and low toxicity. Unlike other therapies, MYMD-1 is designed to selectively block TNF-a when it becomes overactivated in autoimmune diseases and cytokine storms, but not to block it from doing its normal job of being a first responder to any routine type of moderate infection. In addition, the drug is not immunosuppressive and has not been shown to cause serious side effects common with traditional therapies that treat inflammation. Commenting on the size and scope of the market for delaying aging, Dr. Chapman added, “There are no FDA-approved drugs for treating aging disorders and extending healthy lifespan in humans, a market expected to be at least $600 billion by 20251 according to a major investment bank. TNF-a blockers are the most prescribed drugs by revenue, a global market of about $40 billion per year,2 and, according to Nature Aging journal,3 a slowdown in aging that would increase life expectancy by one year is worth $38 trillion and by 10 years is worth $367 trillion.” MYMD-1’s primary purpose is to slow the aging process and extend human lifespan, but it is also showing promise as a potential treatment for COVID-19-related complications, and as an anti-fibrotic and anti-prolific therapeutic. Because it can cross the blood-brain barrier, MYMD-1 is also positioned to be a possible treatment for multiple sclerosis and other brain-related disorders. In addition to the upcoming Phase 2 aging trial, MyMD previously announced that it intends to initiate a Phase 2 trial of MYMD-1 as a therapy for COVID-19-associated depression and cytokine elevation in the fourth quarter of 2021, with initial trial data expected in the first quarter of 2022.