UI Pharmaceuticals, an Iowa-based provider of contract pharmaceutical product development and manufacturing services and a division of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy is actively involved in supporting the fight against COVID-19.  As part of these efforts, UI Pharmaceuticals has been awarded a National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) contract, “Dosage Form Development, Manufacture, and Stability Studies of GS-441524” by the Office of Logistics and Office of Administration at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

GS-441524 is the parent nucleoside of Remdesivir and predominant, persistent metabolite in circulation when Remdesivir is administered. GS-441524 is bioactivated by Adenosine Kinase (ADK) -- highly expressed in SARS-CoV-2-infected pneumocytes -- and has demonstrated excellent in vitro and in vivo safety data. GS-441524 is easier to synthesis, works in the same way as Remdesivir to inhibit viruses, at levels that do not cause much toxicity. GS-441524 is being evaluated as a promising candidate for outpatient administration as oral administration as either a therapeutic or prophylactic agent for SARS-CoV-2.