Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. announced the selection of its novel, broad-spectrum antiviral drug candidate CDI-988 for clinical development as an oral treatment for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. CDI-988 targets a highly conserved region in the active site of SARS-CoV-2 main (3CL) protease required for viral replication and was specifically designed and developed as an oral antiviral candidate for COVID-19 using Cocrystal's proprietary structure-based drug discovery platform technology. In January 2022 the Company announced its intention to evaluate two oral protease inhibitors prior to selecting a lead candidate for clinical development.

Both CDI-988 and the other candidate exhibited superior in vitro potency and broad-spectrum antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. In preclinical studies, both candidates demonstrated favorable safety profiles and pharmacokinetic properties supportive of oral administration for the treatment of COVID-19.