Our laboratory tests indicate that COR-101 recognizes the particularly aggressive new „delta” variant B.1.617.2, which is rapidly replacing the “alpha” variant B.1.1.7
Dr. Andreas Herrmann, CEO, CORAT Therapeutics
On May 10th, the WHO classified the B.1.617.2 SARS-CoV-2 variants, first detected in India, as “of concern”. According to current data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) the “delta” variant B.1.617.2 has replaced previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the “alpha” variant B.1.1.7, currently prevalent in Germany. According to ECDC analysis, the mutations likely increase transmissibility and decrease neutralization by convalescent plasma and currently approved therapeutic antibodies, explaining the sharp increase in the number of cases in India in recent weeks. The currently used vaccines obviously have different efficacies against the newly emerging variants. Also, while vaccines can protect healthy people, they cannot cure people already suffering from COVID-19; moreover, not everyone responds to vaccination. For these patient groups, CORAT Therapeutics GmbH is developing a drug that has an effect against SARS-CoV-2 directly.