Helixmith Completes 50% Patient Enrollment in India Clinical Trial of COVID-19 Treatment 'Tadios'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Helixmith announced on the 29th that it has achieved 50% progress in the clinical trial of a treatment being conducted in India for COVID-19 infected patients. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial involving 100 participants, 50 patients had been enrolled as of the 26th.

This clinical trial investigates not only the safety and tolerability of Helixmith's developed drug ‘TADIOS’ but also whether it can suppress the progression of disease following COVID-19 infection. Currently, the trial is being conducted at four institutions in India, with the protocol and evaluation criteria disclosed in January.

India has a widespread prevalence of COVID-19, ranking second in the world with a cumulative confirmed case count reaching 35 million. Especially due to extensive exchanges with South Africa, the emergence of the Omicron variant has effectively triggered an emergency situation.

TADIOS has demonstrated excellent therapeutic effects in animal models that closely resemble acute lung injury caused by COVID-19 infection. When external substances enter the lungs, they induce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, causing significant lung damage. TADIOS has been shown to suppress these reactions, thereby providing therapeutic benefits. This research was also introduced in the international journal ‘Journal of Ethnopharmacology’ in January.

Helixmith’s TADIOS regulates various immune factors involved in oxidative stress and inflammation. Unlike most treatments developed to target a single biomolecule or to directly inhibit viral replication, it is expected to have a unique and differentiated competitive edge.

Kim Sunyoung, CEO of Helixmith, stated, “Due to breakthrough infections and the emergence of the Omicron variant, the whole world is on high alert. Although the vaccination rate in Korea has reached 80%, the number of confirmed cases continues to record around 3,000 daily. Just as antiviral drugs like Tamiflu are needed despite the existence of flu vaccines, the development of treatments in addition to vaccines for COVID-19 is urgently required.”