Revive Therapeutics announces strategic focus on Bucillamine

Revive Therapeutics announced its strategic focus on dedicating its resources to advancing the clinical development of Bucillamine, an oral thiol-based drug with anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. The Company has decided not to pursue the development of the Long COVID diagnostic product. The Company will be focusing on the following programs with Bucillamine for infectious diseases and medical countermeasures: ‘Nerve Agent Exposure.’ Bucillamine is a significantly more effective antioxidant than NAC and has the potential to provide increased efficacy against seizure activity while limiting the anticoagulant and bleeding event liability observed with NAC. The overall objective of the research project is to investigate pharmacological means for neuroprotection of GABA receptors, which are required for the effectiveness of currently fielded anticonvulsant therapies. ‘Emerging Infections.’ Bucillamine has a well-known safety profile and is prescribed in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Japan and South Korea for over 30 years. Bucillamine, a cysteine derivative with two thiol groups, has been shown to be 16 times more potent as a thiol donor in vivo than NAC. ‘Long COVID.’ Currently, the Company is exploring the use of Bucillamine as a potential treatment for long COVID by leveraging the published research and data from its previous Phase 3 clinical trial.