The Work that Earned DRIVE the First Ever SLS Innovation Award and Lessons to Learn for Life Science Innovators of All Shapes and Sizes

In the early days of the Covid-19 global pandemic, scientists scrambled to understand its nature, transmissibility, identify and create defense mechanisms including therapies and vaccines.

Leaning on Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory’s (DRIVE’s) focus and years of research and development of broad-spectrum, early stage drug candidates intended to combat viral diseases of global concerns, British regulators approved the use of molnupiravir, the first antiviral pill approved for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2.

A relay race to the finish, the first leg of the race to develop an oral therapy for Covid-19 was actually more of a marathon.

David Perryman, JD

The first major challenge was funding the discovery and development effort. “The commercial biotech industry won’t spend resources to develop therapies for a disease and a market that doesn’t exist,” DRIVE CIPO David Perryman told us. “We had to find funding for our broad spectrum antiviral research and the U.S. Government came to the rescue.”[Paul, I moved this and added context]

“Over the course of eight years we focused on oral  broad-spectrum antivirals for existing as well as yet-to-surface high risk viruses. It took a lot of work to find high potential drugs, but we ultimately focused on molnupirovir – known earlier by the internal identification code EIDD-2801,” Perryman said. “It was a massive undertaking, but against all odds we were able to advance the drug to the verge of clinical testing just as SARS-CoV-2 was emerging. 

“The research that lead to the discovery and development of molnupiravir, now a key tool in fighting COVID-19, originated from [DRIVE CEO and Director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development, George Painter III, PhD] and his team’s search to find compounds that interfered with the replication of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Viruses, a virus that had been weaponized during the cold war. The compound (EIDD-2801), though, proved to have much broader efficacy, including activity against highly pathogenic coronaviruses such as the original SARS-CoV and its distant relative, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus. With an original goal to use EIDD-2801/molnupiravir to treat influenza, Painter and his team were able to quickly redirect their efforts to address COVID-19.

George R. Painter III, Ph.D.

From the Emory University News Center, “In January 2020, [George] Painter met Wendy Holman, CEO and co-founder of the company Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. She and her husband, Wayne Holman, had experience developing an antibody against Ebola and were eager to contribute to the fight against COVID-19. With the extensive data that Emory scientists and DRIVE’s collaborators accumulated on the activity of the drug in animal models with viral diseases, Ridgeback was able to  obtain FDA approval for phase 1 testing in humans. DRIVE and Ridgeback announced a collaboration in March 2020 to move EIDD-2801 into clinical trials, with Ridgeback licensing the technology from DRIVE.”

Continuing from Emory News, In early October [2021], Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, which developed the drug after licensing it from DRIVE, reported that a Phase 3 study showed that molnupiravir [commercially dubbed ‘Lagevrio’] significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization or death in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.

“In December, 2021, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for  molnupiravir for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19.”

DRIVE was created in 2012 as a non-profit conduit for translating university based research into commercialization opportunities critical to making therapies available to patients worldwide. Less than ten years later, it had an authorized drug helping save lives during the COVID pandemic. 

DRIVE is still a not-for-profit entity, hyper-focused  on infectious diseases, and seeking to anticipate pandemics or viral disease outbreaks, be they of natural evolution, lab escape or unleashed humans with bad intentions,” Perryman told us. “Our goal today is the same as it’s been since our inception: to address viruses of global concern and get a series of broad spectrum drugs on the shelf that can anticipate pandemics so that whatever viruses  emerge, we have an effective proactive pill to minimize the harm to human life and to world economies.

According to Perryman, Ridgeback sold $3.2 billion in molnupiravir (fueled by advance government contracts) in Q1 2022.

DRIVE Awarded First Southeast Life Sciences Breakthough Award at AdvanSE 2022

At the 2022 edition of AdvanSE, Southeast Life Science’s (SLS) flagship event, DRIVE’s Painter and Perryman were presented with the first SLS Breakthrough Award for the most commercially significant product launched in the past year.

Where is the opportunity for others to learn from DRIVE’s experience. We’ll let Perryman’s words speak for themselves.

“There’s an old lesson that tends to come later in life. What’s critical is to focus on something the world really needs, not what you think it needs, but what doctors and caregivers are telling you they need.

“When demand for your technology is validated, or very nearly validated, form a team among the very best in that technology’s field of opportunity.

“Then, ensure every member of that team is perfectly aligned on the goals and focus, focus, focus. Do not get distracted.

“There will always be a need to spend time on financing, for example, but many high performing scientists, innovators and aspiring leaders can be easily distracted by many other activities that seem to merit their attention, but actually distract from achievement of the primary goal. When that becomes true, successful achievement of the ultimate need and goal diminishes.

“Find and engage the best in finance, legal counsel, science and business development and keep them laser focused on how and why their expertise contributes to a very specific goal.” 

The team at Southeast Life Sciences thanks the DRIVE team for their remarkable contributions to global health, the southeastern United States’ life science ecosystem and Mr. Perryman for taking the time to share his insights with us here.

About DRIVE

Emory University formed DRIVE to advance the development of early-stage drug candidates to address viral diseases of global concern. DRIVE has a leadership team with deep industry experience and applies an entrepreneurial mindset and the focus of a biotechnology company to address the world’s need for therapies that address pandemics, an area that for-profit companies have historically neglected. By taking advantage of Emory’s renowned research enterprise, DRIVE increases the probability that promising drugs will be developed for the ultimate benefit of humanity.  

About Southeast Life Sciences

Southeast Life Sciences is dedicated to the growth of the life sciences industry. It was formed in 2019 through the merger of Southeast BIO and the Southeast Medical Device Association (SEMDA). Our mission is to cultivate, convene, and connect the Southeast entrepreneurial ecosystem to foster life science innovation & investment across the region for the greater good.

We facilitate connections, conversations and capital investments through continuous networking, education and funding opportunities for life-science innovators of all shapes and sizes. We are the proud creator and producer of the AdvanSE Life Sciences Conference, an annual gathering of the most innovative life sciences companies, researchers and discriminating, accomplished investors and corporations that want to do business with them.

AdvanSE 2022 Covid-19 Protocol

Due to the current on-going COVID-19 endemic and in light of the continued spread of the Omicron variant, The Southeast Life Sciences Executive Committee and Board of Directors has aligned on the following protocol and requirements related to Covid-19 vaccination for the upcoming AdvanSE 2022 event at the Hotel Avalon in Alpharetta, Georgia.

 

Proof of Vaccination (boosted OR un-boosted) or specific documented exemption is required to participate onsite in AdvanSE 2022. Photo evidence or hard copy proof of vaccination will suffice. We will also have ‘attestation’ forms available for those without those items to sign attesting that they have received their course of Covid-19 vaccines.

 

Masks are recommended, but not required onsite during the event.

 

We wish you safe travels and are eager to connect with you at AdvanSE.

Header: Are race, social determinants or insurance types predictors of COVID mortality among hospitalized patients?

Jayne Morgan, MD, Executive Director, COVID Taskforce for Piedmont Healthcare and Southeast Life Sciences Board Member, along with Piedmont colleagues Jessica McCain, Xinyue Wang and Kate Connell sought empirical answers to these questions in a recently published paper in the Journal of the National Medical Association, “Assessing the impact of insurance type on COVID-19 mortality in Black and white patients in the largest healthcare system in the State of Georgia.”

 

From the paper’s key points:


Question: Does the relationship between race and COVID-19 mortality still exist when Black and White patients are equally insured?


Findings: In a retrospective analysis of hospital data for an equitably insured population, White and Black patients did not differ in odds of mortality from COVID-19. White patients were more likely to be older and on Medicare. Insurance type was a significant predictor in a logistic regression analysis, even when controlling for risk factors and laboratory results.


Meaning: Racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality in the US population may be partially explained by disparities in insurance.

 

Read the paper in its entirety here.

 

Jayne shared the following takeaway and action item for the Southeast Life Sciences community with Write2Market’s Paul Snyder.


What’s the one thing you hope readers will commit to memory?
 


“That Social Determinants of Health also determine downstream effects such as what type and quality of insurance you have.  This can serve to dissuade participation in the medical system and in the advocacy of one’s own health because of out of pocket expenses, caps, limitations, and bureaucracy. With regard to Covid diagnoses, when insurance was equitable, the inequity in health outcomes was no longer significant and equalized.


What’s the top opportunity for the SLS community to influence positive change in response to the paper’s findings?


“Where you live and what you earn should not impact whether you have access to health insurance and accurate health information. One of the ways in which we can influence positive change is by ensuring that people realize that medical care can also be accessed via clinical trials, regardless of one’s  economic and/or insurance status. Clinical trials can serve as a gateway toward removing barriers and providing access to healthcare for many.”

Southeast Life Sciences would like to thank Jayne for her continuing support and leadership. 

Readers can keep up with the latest from Southeast Life Sciences by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Southeast Life Sciences AdvanSE Safety Protocol Update

Coronavirus header

As announced last week, we are following the situation with the Delta variant of Covid closely and remain optimistic in our ability to safely host the 2021 AdvanSE Conference in October as planned. Today we would like to update you on our safety protocol for the event. 

After careful consideration and consultation with internal and external health and safety experts, Southeast Life Sciences has decided to require all attendees and staff to be fully vaccinated* to attend the event. We determined that the AdvanSE Conference can be the most robust, productive and interactive conference possible by requiring vaccinations for entry.

We have not made a decision on masks or available on-site testing, but we will continue to update you on our safety requirements as soon as possible. 

We are working with Destination South, our conference planning team, on protocols, such as uploading your vaccination card, to make the process as simple as possible for you. There will be multiple ways to confirm your vaccination status. 

If you are not comfortable with an in-person event, please consider registering for the virtual component. We plan to have all conference sessions available virtually starting on the morning of October 28.

Naturally, we can’t wait to see you.

*For the purposes of right of entry to AdvanSE 2021, a person is considered fully vaccinated:

  • 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or
  • 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

About Southeast Life Sciences

SLS cultivates, convenes, and connects the Southeast entrepreneurial ecosystem to foster life science innovation & investment across the region for the greater good.

We’re the network that brings all southern life science innovation together in one place: for investors, we bring your next investable opportunity; for young companies, we introduce you to your investors and potential partners; universities & corporations, move your research or innovation into the commercialization pathway; for solution providers, we bring your next clients.

We are the proud creator and producer of the AdvanSE Life Sciences Conference, an annual gathering of the most innovative life sciences companies, researchers and discriminating, accomplished investors and corporations that want to do business with them. 

The 2021 AdvanSE Life Science Conference, Southeast Life Science’s flagship event, will be October 27-29, 2020 in Charleston, SC. 

In 48 hours at AdvanSE, investors can see the very best of what the southeast life sciences innovation ecosystem has to offer.

Register

August 18 Southeastern Covid-19 Update

This is the most promising update on Covid in months. From where things stood four weeks ago, the recent changes are remarkable. Cases are dropping, or at least stable, in every state in the southeast and the United States overall. Hospitalizations in the region continue to creep up, but since those lag new cases this isn’t a surprise. In two weeks, I hope to see hospitalizations down.

Speaking of hospitalizations, Alabama continues its very strange patterns on new hospitalizations, but with big a drop the last two weeks instead of a surge. Cases are dropping equally as fast/faster, so that’s more good news!

In the charts below note the changes in cases from Florida and Louisiana, plus the charts on new cases and new deaths in the United States overall. If this trend continues, or even if cases have plateaued, we might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

In other good news, the first three stories posted below provide a promising picture on the current covid situation and optimism for the future.

Covid Numbers for the Week

 

7-Day Moving Average for Southeastern States
New Cases & New Hospitalizations 

(LA & NC do not report hospitalizations)
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Linear Case Growth
United States Daily New Cases
United States Daily New Deaths

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April 6 Covid-19 Newsletter

August 5 Covid-19 Update

Most of the trends from two weeks ago continue, with a couple of notable exceptions. Cases in Florida and Louisiana appear to be leveling off, with some decline over the last week or so in both states. With universities (potentially) opening in the next month, that trend will be tested. If cases continue to level and/or drop, this is tremendous news for this Fall. 
 
Also notable is Alabama’s continued dramatic surge of hospitalizations remains puzzling. As you’ll see in the chart below, hospitalizations are so high that it would mean nearly everyone who tested positive over the last couple of weeks ended up in the hospital. I was skeptical two weeks ago and now I find it almost impossible to believe. Again, I checked the numbers with Alabama’s health department and the totals add up, but I remain convinced that hospitalizations were inaccurately counted for weeks or months and the data is now catching up to reality. 

Covid Numbers for the Week

 

7-Day Moving Average for Southeastern States
New Cases & New Hospitalizations 

(LA & NC do not report hospitalizations)
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Linear Case Growth

7-Day Moving Average for Southeastern States
New Tests & Positive Tests

Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia

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April 6 Covid-19 Newsletter

July 22 Covid-19 Update

Covid Numbers for the Week

 

7-Day Moving Average for Southeastern States
New Cases & New Hospitalizations 

(LA & NC do not report hospitalizations)
Southeast Covid-19 Updates. Alabama 7-Day Moving Average, New Cases and New Hospitalizations
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Linear Case Growth

7-Day Moving Average for Southeastern States
New Tests & Positive Tests

Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia

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April 6 Covid-19 Newsletter

July 7 Covid Newsletter

Covid Numbers for the Week

 

7-Day Moving Average for Southeastern States
New Cases & New Hospitalizations 

(LA & NC do not report hospitalizations)
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Southeast Covid-19 Updates. Georgia 7 day moving average new cases and new hospitalizations.
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Linear Case Growth

7-Day Moving Average for Southeastern States
New Tests & Positive Tests – with R-Squared Values 

Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia

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April 6 Covid-19 Newsletter