Windlas Biotech, Mateon Therapeutics launch drug-device lung therapy

The AI-app based platform ARTIHealth, developed by Mateon Therapeutics will enable patients to monitor the progress of their respiratory function

Windlas Biotech, an Indian pharmaceutical contract drug development and manufacturing organisation, in partnership with Mateon Therapeutics (Mateon), a US-based oncology company focusing on TGF-β inhibitors as therapies against cancers and infectious diseases, launched an innovative drug-device therapy PulmoHeal + ARTIHealth as a complete respiratory wellness solution.

The AI-app based platform ARTIHealth, developed by Mateon Therapeutics will enable patients to monitor the progress of their respiratory function over time by enabling them to upload daily cough and speech recording and receiving feedback on the health of their lungs. The platform is a self-assessment and monitoring tool that provides >90 per cent accurate feedback used for suitable self-care and remote healthcare. This is part of a long-term joint development agreement with IBM Watson Health Research and Mateon. 

PulmoHeal is the first FSSAI-approved health supplement developed from the extract of the indigenous plant Artemisia. The active component of PulmoHealTM, Artemisinin, has been known to exhibit multiple pharmacological activities against inflammation, viral infections, and lung damage. 

The platform will also collect large-scale, clinical data through a post-marketing survey (PMS) platform through which we are empowering consumers and patients as active participants in the development of PulmoHeal for future indications including COVID-19, COPD, and asthma. 

Interim results from the clinical study called ARTI-19 conducted by Windlas and Mateon suggest PulmoHeal to be highly effective in significantly reducing respiratory distress and has demonstrated efficacy against COVID-19 as well. The clinical data suggest that PulmoHeal efficacy is statistically significant and more than doubles the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients. These results have been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals  Frontiers in Pharmacology and Clinical Investigations.

The companies completed their clinical study ARTI-19, “a prospective, randomized, multi-centre, open-label, interventional study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of artemisinin in the treatment of adult subjects for COVID-19”. The trials were carried out on 120 patients across three hospitals in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

Hitesh Windlass, MD, Windlas Biotech, commented, “Respiratory health took the biggest hit during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ayurveda has been a rich source of innovative treatments even in the modern world. Windlas is bringing allopathic rigour of clinical trials to evaluate herbal products from traditional medicine. taking this a step further by using scientifically designed clinical trials. PulmoHeal might have the potential to fight a broad spectrum of respiratory viruses. Our new drug-device platform will be a game-changer and will significantly reduce the burden on health systems.”

Dr Vuong Trieu, CEO and Chairman, Mateon said, “We have been working on the TGF-β inhibition pathway for the last 18 years. Its relevance in controlling COVID-19 symptoms has been widely accepted and confirmed by researchers across the world. Artemisinin is a highly promising TGF-β inhibitor and opens the way to alleviating many respiratory illnesses.”

Saran Saund, CBO, Mateon, commented, “We need to efficiently utilise the power of digital health as a critical enabler for transforming the health system. We are optimistic that our solution will be beneficial even beyond the current pandemic and provide comprehensive healthcare data, which can be analysed to further improve the health system”.

The research is supported by the Chopra Foundation, a non-profit organisation, dedicated to improving health and well-being. Interim findings on the clinical trial of the Ayurvedic variant of PulmoHeal, ARTIVeda have been submitted to AYUSH authorities for medical evaluation. 

Dr Suhas Kshirsagar BAMS, MD (Ayurveda, India), Director, Ayurvedic Healing Inc and advisor to the Chopra Foundation, said “This impressive clinical study has combined world-class research and best practices to ensure the safety and efficacy of a cost-effective treatment. It proves, the underlying premise, that a well-tolerated herb that has been used by Ayurveda for millennia builds up a defence mechanism for a broad spectrum of viruses that can be unlocked for global pandemics like this. I look forward to supporting the launch of this product and its further development, together with the Chopra Foundation around the world.”