South Korean drug firm GeneOne Life Science Inc. said Monday it has won approval to conduct a second phase clinical trial of its treatment candidate for the novel coronavirus in the United States.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved a phase two study of GLS-1027, an oral drug candidate known to prevent severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19 infection.

The candidate will be administered to 132 adult COVID-19 patients from the moment of their infection to evaluate the efficacy of preventing pneumonia, the company said.

GeneOne Life Science said that GLS-1027 significantly reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines resulting in pulmonary disease and lowered lung diseases in preclinical animal studies. (Yonhap)