The investigational drug Tempol from Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NSDQ:ADMP) could be a potent oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 based on cell culture research, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The positive research news caused Adamis Pharmaceuticals’ stock to jump 61% from $0.69 to $1.13 today. The quick jump in its stock valuation triggered a trading halt.
Tempol belongs to a growing class of anti-COVID-19 drugs that aim to stop viral replication.
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) is also developing a similar potential COVID-19 treatment known as PF-07321332 that is a protease inhibitor. That investigational drug binds to a viral enzyme known as protease to stop viral replication.
Remdesivir, the subcutaneous injectable drug from Gilead Sciences (NSDQ:GILD) that won FDA approval on October 22, 2020, binds to the RNA polymerase and protease of SARS-CoV-2.
Tempol relies on a different mode of action. The drug in…