Celltrion reaffirmed positive findings from the phase 1 clinical trial of its COVID-19 antibody treatment CT-P59 at the annual autumn conference of Korean societies of infectious diseases and antimicrobial therapy, the company said Friday.

Celltrion saw antiviral efficacy of CT-P59 and its safety in human body through the phase 1 trial targeting 18 COVID-19 patients displaying light symptoms.

These patients were recruited in Korea and Europe, Celltrion said.

Kim Jin-yong, doctor of infectious disease at Incheon Medical Center in Incheon, delivered the presentation in an oral session. Kim was a participating researcher in the phase 1 trial that took place at three medical instiutes in Korea and in Europe.

In clinical phase 1 trial, CT-P59 showed no particular side effects in the human body, while cutting down the average time taken for recovery by 44 percent against the placebo group.

Those who were administered CT-P59 recuperated in full, while those who were given placebos have partially deteriorated in condition, Celltrion said.

Most of the participating patients were seniors.

“We were able to provide proof to our hypothesis that early administration of antibody treatment leads to faster recovery from COVID-19. However, due to the small pool of patients in the phase 1 trial, there are limits to taking in the findings in a definitive sense,” said a Celltrion official.

“We will endeavor to our best ability to derive sufficient data from the ongoing clinical phase 2 trial for a speedy distribution of CT-P59,” the official said.

Celltrion is currently undergoing phase 2 and 3 trials, and plans to derive mid-term data by the end of 2020. According to the plan, the company will apply for global authorization for the drug‘s use by mid-2021.

In an preemptive move for the case of successful development, Celltrion began manufacturing batches in September.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)