SAN DIEGO, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRNE, "Sorrento") announced today positive preliminary results from two Phase 2 studies designed to identify the hospitalized patient population suffering from COVID-19-induced pneumonia and respiratory depression likely to respond to treatment with oral Abivertinib. Abivertinib is a novel small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that selectively targets both mutant forms of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as well as Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK). Abivertinib irreversibly binds to the BTK receptor, preventing the phosphorylation of the receptor. Due to this effect, it has shown potent immunomodulatory activities in vitro with potent inhibition of key pro-inflammatory cytokine production, including IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha. These cytokines are associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and with cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or cytokine storm, and COVID-19 disease progression with poor outcomes in patients.

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UPDATE  – Sorrento Announces Encouraging Results From Two Phase 2 Studies of Abivertinib For Treatment Of Hospitalized Severe COVID-19 Patients