Japanese pharma firm Daiichi Sankyo Company has announced that it has decided to discontinue development of nafamostat inhalation formulation (DS-2319) for treatment of the novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19).

DS-2319 is a drug product in inhalation dosage form that contains nafamostat mesilate.

Daiichi Sankyo proceeded with its development, expecting that nafamostat might exert a therapeutic effect by blocking membrane fusion between the envelope of the virus that causes COVID-19 and the host plasma cell membrane, and initiated a phase 1 trial in March 2021.

In view of situations of ongoing non-clinical studies and the phase 1 trial, however, Daiichi Sankyo has decided to discontinue the development of DS-2319.