ENA Respiratory, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing antiviral host defence immune enhancers to minimise the impact of viral respiratory infections, has received a $5 million investment from Flu Lab, a California-based organisation founded to advance innovative approaches for the prevention and treatment of influenza.
INNA-051 is a host defence immune enhancer which locally primes and boosts the body’s innate immune response – the natural first line of defence. It is being developed as a convenient, once-a-week nasal dry powder product to reduce the impact of viral respiratory infections and prevent severe complications in at-risk populations, including the elderly, those with an underlying medical condition (including chronic lung conditions, diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease) and individuals with occupational risk (e.g. first responders, military or essential services personnel).
The Flu Lab investment will support ENA’s planned Phase II proof-of-concept community infection study to assess the safety and potential efficacy of INNA-051 in reducing the incidence and duration of symptomatic infections caused by common respiratory viruses, including seasonal influenza, coronaviruses, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus, in young adults at risk for exposure living in the US.
Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, the company has raised $26 million (AU$44million) in equity financing from Brandon Capital, The Minderoo Foundation and Uniseed. It is partnered with the US COPD Foundation to support the clinical development of INNA-051 in COPD and has been awarded a $13.1 million contract from the US Department of Defense.
