The trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Lam-002a (apilimod dimesylate) for reducing viral load in COVID-19 patients, and will enroll up to 142 outpatient participants, the company said. The agent is a phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 5-kinase (PIKfyve) kinase inhibitor that has shown in vitro antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2.

Lam-002a was identified using AI Therapeutics' proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm for matching drugs to new indications.

As the clinical trial progresses, AI Therapeutics will prepare to make Lam-002a accessible, it said. It has 70,000 doses ready and the same number in development. The company is planning to make five million more doses.

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