"Cannabinoids have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2"
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (NASDAQ:LEXX)(NASDAQ:LEXXW) (the "Company" or "Lexaria"), a global innovator in drug delivery platforms, comments on an independent January 10 study, available here, that discovered that "Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants".
In an interview granted to vice.com, lead research scientist Dr. Richard van Breeman commented on how smoking or vaping of cannabis was likely not effective, while oral delivery was effective. "If these hemp products containing these compounds are smoked or vaped, the heat exposure could cause the chemical decomposition or conversion… So, we would recommend in favor of an oral administration of these compounds instead of smoking them, inhaling them from vaping."
"Lexaria has led the conversation for years related to oral delivery of cannabinoids and is a world-leader through its pioneering drug delivery technology, DehydraTECHTM, in more effective delivery of cannabinoids to the human bloodstream through oral means," said Chris Bunka, CEO of Lexaria Bioscience.
In the peer-reviewed study, the researchers concluded that "Cannabinoid acids from hemp (Cannabis sativa) were found to be allosteric as well as orthosteric ligands with micromolar affinity for the spike protein. In follow-up virus neutralization assays, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid prevented infection of human epithelial cells by a pseudovirus expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and prevented entry of live SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant B.1.1.7 and the beta variant B.1.351."
Lexaria is actively engaged in research with DehydraTECH-powered cannabinoid formulations across a range of potential therapeutic applications, including an advanced oral DehydraTECH-CBD formulation that it is preparing for registered clinical trials as a prospective new pharmaceutical product. Moreover, the patented DehydraTECH process does not involve processing temperatures remotely as high as those encountered in smoking or vaping processes, and in previous studies has been found to leave the cannabinoid molecules undamaged.
In other work previously conducted by Lexaria and announced on June 3, 2021, we discovered that Lexaria's DehydraTECH-enabled remdesivir and ebastine effectively inhibit the COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Virus. Remdesivir is a well-known nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor, available under the trade name Veklury® from Gilead Sciences Inc., that interferes with the SARS-CoV-2 viral replication life cycle and has received emergency use authorization in many regions of the world for treatment of COVID-19. Ebastine is an antihistamine drug that has potent effects in inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro, also called the 3CL protease) blocking viral entry into human cells, together with effects to reduce COVID-19 inflammatory reactions. Mpro inhibitors are gaining attention in the fight against COVID-19, as announced by Pfizer with their novel compound PF-07304814.
The Company is not making any express or implied claims that it has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain COVID-19 (or the SARS-CoV-2) virus.
About Lexaria Bioscience Corp.
Lexaria Bioscience Corp.'s patented drug delivery technology, DehydraTECH™, improves the way active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) enter the bloodstream by promoting more effective oral delivery. Since 2016, DehydraTECH has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to increase bio-absorption with cannabinoids and nicotine by 5-10x and, in some instances with cannabinoids by as much as 27x compared to standard industry formulations, reduce time of onset from 1 - 2 hours to minutes, and mask unwanted tastes; and is also being evaluated for orally administered anti-viral drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), PDE5 inhibitors and more. DehydraTECH has also evidenced an ability to deliver some drugs more effectively across the blood brain barrier. Lexaria operates a licensed in-house research laboratory and holds a robust intellectual property portfolio with 23 patents granted and over 50 patents pending worldwide.
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