ENA Respiratory Receives US$5m Investment from Flu Lab to Support Clinical Development of Novel Intranasal Antiviral Host Defence Immune Enhancer, INNA-051

/EIN News/ -- MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ENA Respiratory, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing antiviral host defence immune enhancers to minimize the impact of viral respiratory infections, announces today it has received a US$5 million investment from Flu Lab.

Flu Lab, a California-based organization founded to advance innovative approaches for the prevention and treatment of influenza, provided the funding to support ENA’s clinical development of INNA-051.

A simple to administer, virus-agnostic, seasonally delivered product designed to minimize the impact of viral respiratory infections. It addresses the limitations of current vaccine and direct-acting antiviral approaches and could provide a critical advancement in reducing the continued impact of common and emerging respiratory viruses, such as influenza, on vulnerable populations and the healthcare system.

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.

ENA Respiratory’s CEO Christophe Demaison, PhD, said: “There is an urgent need for new approaches to reduce the enormous burden of serious viral respiratory infections including influenza, and this investment from Flu Lab will allow us to accelerate our clinical program. We are delighted to have Flu Lab’s support and believe it is a strong endorsement of the work we have done to date in developing INNA-051 and its potential to make a meaningful difference in reducing mortality and morbidity.”

About ENA Respiratory

ENA Respiratory is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company tackling respiratory viral infections through the development of host defence immune enhancers which locally prime and boost the body’s innate immune response – the natural first line of defence against invading pathogens. Being virus-agnostic, ENA’s antiviral host defence enhancers offer solutions to protect against common and emerging respiratory viruses for which vaccines or direct-acting antivirals have limitations or do not exist.

The company’s lead product, INNA-051, 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).

INNA-051 is a potent agonist of toll-like receptor 2/6 (TLR2/6) which plays a key role in recognising pathogens and potentiating innate immune responses. With a safety profile supporting seasonal prophylaxis use, it has demonstrated accelerated virus clearance and stimulation of antiviral host defences, including IFN Type I & III responses, in a Phase IIa proof-of-principle study using a human influenza-challenge model.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, the company has raised US$33 million (AU$46 million) in financing from Brandon Capital, The Minderoo Foundation, Flu Lab 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 US$13.1 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense. It is an alumni member of BLUE KNIGHT™, a joint initiative between Johnson & Johnson Innovation and BARDA designed to accelerate novel potential solutions for future pandemics.

For more information, please visit https://enarespiratory.com

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