Hospitalised patients who took Synairgen’s treatment were 79 per cent less likely to end up needing ventilationShares in an Aim-quoted drug company spun-off from the University of Southampton have soared after it announced positive trial results for a treatment for hospitalised Covid-19 patients. Synairgen, a respiratory drug discovery and development company, rose 136p, or 372 per cent, to 172½p in morning dealings on London’s junior Aim market after it said preliminary results found the drug reduced the chances of coronavirus patients needing intensive care. The sharp rise in its shares has left two of its academic co-founders, Stephen Holgate, professor of immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton, and Ratko Djukanovic, sitting on stakes worth about £1.5 million each as they retain holdings of about 0.6 per cent each. Synairgen’s largest shareholder is Lansdowne Partners, with 11.7 per cent.

Source: The Times July 20, 2020 11:03 UTC