Edesa Biotech, Inc. has secured a commitment of up to CAD 23 million from the Government of Canada for a pivotal Phase 3 clinical study of the company's first-in-class therapeutic candidate. Edesa's experimental drug, called EB05 (paridiprubart), represents a new class of emerging therapies called Host-Directed Therapeutics (HDTs) that are designed to modulate the body's own immune response when confronted with infectious diseases or even chemical agents. Importantly, these therapies are agnostic to the causal agent and can be stockpiled preemptively for seasonal outbreaks and unexpected emergencies and threats.

Edesa's current project builds on the success of a government-supported Phase 2 clinical study completed during the pandemic which demonstrated that paridiprubart reduced mortality by 84% among critically ill patients with a severe form of respiratory disease called Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). A parallel in vitro study at the University of Toronto also demonstrated recently that paridiprubart inhibits inflammation from influenza and other pathogens.