Biota initiates Phase I trial of common cold drug candidate

Biota Holdings (Notting Hill, Australia) has begun Phase I human safety trials of BTA-798, its Human Rhinovirus (HRV) drug for the prevention and treatment of the common cold.

The double-blind study will administer BTA-798 orally in up to 48 patients. It is being conducted in the UK and is expected to be completed by December 2006.

HRV is the predominant cause of the common cold in children and a the causative factor of up to 50% of adult colds. Normally a self-limiting disease in otherwise healthy people, it is associated with approximately 70% of all asthma exacerbations or aggravations and can cause complications in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is currently no effective preventative or therapeutic treatment for the virus.

'The HRV human trial is a significant step for Biota,' said Peter Cook, ceo Biota 'This is the first time we have taken one of our own compounds into clinical trials in our own right. It demonstrates that we now have the skills and capacity to increase the value of our early stage research through progression to human trials.'

BTA-798 was discovered and developed by Biota scientists with the initial support of an AusIndustry Start Grant in 1998.