Altamira Therapeutics Reports Positive In Vitro Efficacy Data for Bentrio Nasal Spray in Protecting Against Sars-CoV-2 Omicron Variant
HAMILTON, BERMUDA / ACCESSWIRE / March 11, 2022 / Altamira Therapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ:CYTO), a company dedicated to developing therapeutics that address important unmet medical needs, today announced positive efficacy data from testing its Bentrio™ nasal spray in vitro against the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Bentrio™ is a drug-free nasal spray for protection against airborne viruses and allergens, which has previously shown positive outcomes in vitro against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and its Delta variant.
For the Omicron variant study, Bentrio™ or saline control were applied in the same type of assay that was used for the previous studies, based on reconstituted nasal epithelium cells from human donors. Compared to the Delta variant, the Omicron variant showed much faster viral replication and a more rapid increase in the viral titer (as measured by the Median Tissue Culture Infectious Dose, TCID50), which had peaked within 24 hours. Prophylactic application of Bentrio™ starting 10 minutes prior to viral inoculation resulted in a significant reduction of 89.5% in viral titer after 24 hours compared to the saline-treated controls (p-value<0.01). When the treatment application was started only 24 hours after viral inoculation, after the viral titer had already peaked, application of Bentrio™ resulted in a significant reduction in viral titer over the following days (overall p<0.01) compared to saline controls, reaching 87.1% at its maximum on Day 3.
“The latest set of in vitro data add to the growing body of evidence suggesting Bentrio’s potential protective effects against SARS-CoV-2,” commented Thomas Meyer, Altamira Therapeutic’s founder, Chairman and CEO. “Importantly, they provide further confirmation that Bentrio appears to be effective across virus variants, suggesting broad applicability. We are pleased that Bentrio achieved very encouraging results, not only against the particularly infectious Delta variant, but also against the highly transmissible Omicron variant.”
As reported earlier this week, Altamira has initiated a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the ability of Bentrio™ to reduce the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the nose, alleviate COVID-19 signs and symptoms, and decrease the frequency of COVID-19 related hospital admissions. The “COVAMID” study will enroll 136 confirmed (via a positive PCR test) COVID-19 patients who will be randomized at a 2:1:1 ratio to receive for 10 days either Bentrio™, a placebo (Bentrio™ minus its key mineral component), or no treatment, followed by a 10-day observation phase.
About Bentrio™
Bentrio™ (AM-301) is a drug-free nasal spray intended for personal protection against airborne viruses and allergens. Upon application into the nose, Bentrio™ forms a protective gel layer on the nasal mucosa. This thin film is designed to prevent the contact of viruses or allergens with cells; in addition, the composition serves to bind such particles and help with their discharge and to humidify the nasal mucosa. Together, this is designed to reduce the risk of upper respiratory tract viral infections and promote alleviation of allergic symptoms. Bentrio™ has been cleared for commercialization and is marketed in a growing number of countries.
About Altamira Therapeutics
Altamira Therapeutics is dedicated to developing therapeutics that address important unmet medical needs. The Company is currently active in three areas: the development of RNA therapeutics for extrahepatic therapeutic targets (OligoPhore™ / SemaPhore™ platforms; preclinical), nasal sprays for protection against airborne viruses and allergens (Bentrio™; commercial) or for the treatment of vertigo (AM-125; Phase 2), and the development of therapeutics for intratympanic treatment of tinnitus or hearing loss (Keyzilen® and Sonsuvi®; Phase 3). The Company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda with its main operations in Basel, Switzerland. The shares of Altamira Therapeutics Ltd. trade on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “CYTO”.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release may contain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical facts and may include statements that address future operating, financial or business performance or Altamira Therapeutics’ strategies or expectations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may”, “might”, “will”, “should”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “predicts”, “projects”, “potential”, “outlook” or “continue”, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the approval and timing of commercialization of AM-301, Altamira Therapeutics’ need for and ability to raise substantial additional funding to continue the development of its product candidates, the timing and conduct of clinical trials of Altamira Therapeutics’ product candidates, the clinical utility of Altamira Therapeutics’ product candidates, the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, Altamira Therapeutics’ intellectual property position and Altamira Therapeutics’ financial position, including the impact of any future acquisitions, dispositions, partnerships, license transactions or changes to Altamira Therapeutics’ capital structure, including future securities offerings. These risks and uncertainties also include, but are not limited to, those described under the caption “Risk Factors” in Altamira Therapeutics’ Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020, and in Altamira Therapeutics’ other filings with the SEC, which are available free of charge on the Securities Exchange Commission’s website at: www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated. All forward-looking statements and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Altamira Therapeutics or to persons acting on behalf of Altamira Therapeutics are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to these risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Altamira Therapeutics does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable law.
Investor contact:
Stephen Kilmer
646.274.3580
sjk@altamiratherapeutics.com
SOURCE: Altamira Therapeutics
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