COVID-19 is a disease caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2, a strain of coronavirus. Respiratory illness is the most common symptom associated with COVID-19 with a severity ranging from mild disease to life-threatening acute respiratory distress syndrome. Patients with advanced age, comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, or an immunocompromised state, are at increased risk for poor outcomes. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (“WHO”) in 2020. According to the WHO, as of August 2, 2022, more than 572 million people have been infected and COVID-19 has caused more than 6.3 million deaths.
COVID-19 infects humans via the mouth and nasal cavity where it replicates and then progresses into the airways and lungs. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough and fatigue, and less common symptoms include soreness of body and throat, diarrhoea, headache, and reduced smell and taste. More severe cases can lead to loss/shortness of breath, chest pain, and potentially loss of speech or movement. It typically takes four to five days from infection until the symptoms show.
Mild-to-Moderate
13,4M suffers from Psoriasis in the US, EU5 and Japan
PDE4 inhibitor
Dermatology market and include
topical roflumilast cream
PDE4 Market and include
topical roflumilast cream
Moderate-to-servere
People in the US suffer from Psoriasis
TNF-Q + 11-17
Plaque psoriasis and atopic
dermatitis
Acim quam ratem eos dis ma
doluptatist
Checkpoint-for Psoriasis
People in EU5 suffer from Psoriasis
Keratinoc
Exerting anti-inflammatory effect
reducing psoriasis scale formation
PDE4 Market and include
topical roflumilast cream
Substantial psychosocial impacts of living with psoriasis
The burden of living with psoriasis is often underestimated. In addition to the direct clinical challenges of psoriasis, many patients with plaque psoriasis suffer substantial psychosocial impacts from their disease, including: social stigma, feelings of rejection and shame, guilt, impaired sexual intimacy, discrimination in the workplace, difficulty finding employment or working outside the home, financial hardships, increased work absenteeism and reduced productivity.
Treatment of psoriasis
Psoriasis can be managed by topical, oral, biological treatments as well as phototherapy. Depending on the severity of the disease, patients and health care professionals choose between these treatment options. However, many physicians and patients express a need for better oral treatments. UNION is developing oral orismilast, a next-generation phosphodiesterase type-4 (“PDE4”) inhibitor, for the treatment of psoriasis. Read more here
The prevalence of COVID-19 – two key unmet needs
The primary drivers of the continued prevalence and unmet need of COVID-19 are viral mutations, waning vaccine immunity, vaccine skepticism, and vaccine deployment globally. One could expect new treatments and alternative means of prophylaxis to remain in demand over the coming years to help ensure lower case rates, hospitalization rates and mortality rates associated with COVID-19.
UNION has identified two key unmet needs related to COVID-19 that are likely to persist in the foreseeable future.
- Development of treatments that work across SARS-CoV-2 variants. Many of the currently available treatments target the virus itself directly, meaning they are subject to becoming less efficacious when the virus mutates (this includes all monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and also some antivirals). It is key to develop antivirals which can work across SARS-CoV-2 variants to stay on top of effectively treating the disease.
- Prevention of disease in immunocompromised and high-risk populations. Antiviral agents and neutralizing antibodies are likely most beneficial for early treatment and disease progression.
Across both unmet needs, UNION expects a continued demand for new prophylactic agents and treatments to increase the diversity of drugs available.
Read more about UNIONs prophylactic niclosamide agent to address these unmet needs her
Meet Robert who lives with a new kidney and is significantly affected after having contracted COVID-19.
“I would very much like to start working again, if my head and my ability to talk will ever feel better after having had COVID-19.”
